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Fishers  Is/and 

N.  Y. 
1614-1925 

HENRY    L.  FERGUSON 

TttTtfTlfTtfTtfTfi'Ttf'Bf'OSltr  "Of  "Of  "Of  If  If  7f  ~tf  If 


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SEYMOUR  DURST 


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Fishers  Island 
N.  Y. 
1614-1925 


Fishers  Island 

N.  Y. 

1614-1925 

By  Henry  L.  Ferguson 


New  York 
Privately  Printed 
1925 


1  O  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  SUC- 
CESSIVE OWNERS,  FROM  JOHN 
WINTHROP,  JR.,  TO  THE  AUTHOR'S 
FATHER,  WALTON  FERGUSON,  THIS 
HISTORY  OF  FISHERS  ISLAND  IS 
RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 


FOREWORD 


It  has  been  said  that  a  good  book  needs  no  preface. 
This  short  history,  however,  must  have  one,  for  the 
author  does  not  pretend  to  be  either  writer  or  historian 
and  possibly  mistakes  have  crept  in,  for  which  he  wishes 
to  apologize. 

Like  most  historical  records,  this  could  necessarily  be 
little  more  than  a  rearrangement  of  the  words  set  down 
by  those  who  have  gone  before.  The  search  for  these  has 
carried  the  author  far,  but  among  the  more  important 
sources  from  which  information  has  been  derived  are  the 
works  listed  below.  In  the  interests  of  simplicity  and  an 
easier  page  to  read,  footnotes  and  specific  credit  refer- 
ences have  been  omitted  from  the  text.  To  the  writers 
and  publishers  of  the  following,  however,  the  author 
gratefully  acknowledges  his  indebtedness,  as  well  as  to 
Mrs.  Fay  Fox  Shiland,  Mrs.  Mary  Smith  (nee  Win- 
throp),  Mr.  Deane  Winthrop  Pratt,  Mr.  Frederick 
Winthrop,  and  The  New  London  County  Historical 
Society. 

Old  Paths  of  the  New  England  Border — K.  M.  Abbot 

History  of  Connecticut — Trumbull 

Brodhead's  History  of  State  of  New  York 

History  of  Long  Island — Thompson 

History  of  New  London — Caulkins 

Connecticut  Colonial  Records 

Life  and  Letters  of  John  Winthrop 

Massachusetts  Colonial  Records 

Fishers  Island — F.  E.  Hine 

vii 


FOREWORD 


New  England  Magazine:  July,  1903 — H.  R.  Palmer 
History  of  Connecticut — G.  H.  Hollister 
Connecticut  Historical  Collections — /.  IV,  Barber 
Life  and  Travels  of  George  Fox,  &c. 
The  Walworths  of  America 
Hempstead  Diary 

The  Morning  News — old  New  London  newspaper 
Hinman's  Antiquities 

The  Beginnings  of  New  England — /.  Fiske. 
The  Mumford  Memoirs 

John  Winthrop  the  Younger — T.  F.  Waters 
In  Old  Connecticut—  C.  B.  Todd 
Connecticut  Historical  Society  Collections 
Public  Records  of  Connecticut 

State  of  Rhode  Island  &  Providence  Plantations — E.  Field 
Smugglers  and  Smuggling — A,  Hyatt  Verrill 


Fishers  Island,  N.  Y., 
May,  1925. 


H.  L.  F. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Discovery  and  Early  Records  ....  i 

Early  Settlers   12 

Colonial  Days   25 

Pre-Revolutionary  Days   38 

Revolutionary  Days   58 

The  War  of  1 8 12   64 

Later  Days   68 

Here  and  There   76 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Earliest  Chart  Showing  Fishers  Island 


Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Indian  Relics  Found  on  Fishers  Island  .      .  6 

The  Pequot  Indian  Fort  Near  Mystic  .      .  10 

John  Winthrop,  Jr   12 

Fitz-John  Winthrop   26 

Wait-Still  Winthrop   34 

The  Mansion  House  in  1889    .      .      .      .  42 

Winthrop  House  at  East  End,  about  1870  .  50 

John  Winthrop,  F.  R.  S   54 

John  Still  Winthrop   58 

Francis  Bayard  Winthrop  .  .  .  .  62 
New  London  in  18 13,  Showing  Fishers  Island 

in  the  Distance   64 

William  H.  Winthrop   66 

Robert  R.  Fox   68 

Edmund  M.  Ferguson   70 

Walton  Ferguson   74 

Fish  Hut  Point,  Hay  Harbor  .      .      .      .  78 

Looking  North  Over  West  Harbor  .      .      .  82 

Wreck  of  the  Steamer  Atlantic  .  .  .  88 
Life  Saving  Station  at  Race  Point,  about 

1895   90 

The  Thelma-Phcebe,  Wrecked  on  Choco- 

mount  Beach   92 

Black-Crowned  Night  Heron  and  Nest  .  98 
Looking  East  Over  Island  Lake  Towards 

Chocomount   100 

U.  S.  S.  Jason   102 


J 


Discovery  and  Early  Records 


MUNNAWTAWKIT,  as  Fishers  Island  was  called 
by  the  Indians,  lies  distant  from  the  mainland  of 
Connecticut  only  two  miles,  at  the  narrowest 
point  of  Long  Island  Sound.  Here  for  generations 
the  Indians  came  in  their  canoes  to  hunt  and  fish  and 
gather  clams.  Very  possibly,  too,  they  sought  the 
cooler  breezes  that  are  found  there,  escaping  the  heat 
to  which  they  were  at  times  subjected  on  the  mainland. 
Several  shell  heaps  show  the  location  of  their  camps, 
and  implements  of  the  chase  as  well  as  those  of  ordinary 
daily  use  have  been  found  about  these  camp  sites  and 
in  some  of  the  fields  that  have  been  cultivated.  In 
Colonial  days  the  Island  was  heavily  wooded  and  deer 
and  game  birds  abounded,  which  made  it  an  ideal  home 
for  the  Indians  during  the  summer  months.  It  is  prob- 
able that  it  was  never  used  as  a  permanent  camp  by  any 
large  numbers,  for  if  this  had  been  the  case  more  articles 
of  their  manufacture  would  have  been  found,  as  well  as 
skeletons,  of  which  only  a  few  have  been  brought  to 
light.  The  harbors  were  good  and  the  camp  sites  well 
chosen,  and  the  few  that  resided  on  the  Island  must  have 
lived  there  in  peace  and  plenty. 

Across  the  waters  of  Fishers  Island  Sound  lay  the  real 
home  of  the  Indians.  Not  far  from  the  Groton  Monu- 
ment in  New  London  was  situated  the  fort  where  the 
chief  of  the  Pequots  lived.  "It  commanded  one  of  the 
finest  prospects  of  the  Sound  and  adjacent  country,  which 

z 


2 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


is  to  be  found  upon  the  coast.  This  was  the  Royal 
fortress,  where  the  chief  sachem  had  his  residence.  He 
had  another  fort  near  Mystic  River,  a  few  miles  to  the 
eastward  of  this,  called  Mystic  Fort.  This  was  also 
erected  upon  a  beautiful  hill  or  eminence,  gradually  de- 
scending towards  the  south  or  south-east."  These  were 
the  conditions  up  to  1614,  when  history  first  mentions  the 
Island. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  the  Norsemen,  in  the  course 
of  their  many  adventurous  voyages,  sailed  by  Fishers 
Island,  but  of  this  we  have  no  definite  records.  It  is 
claimed,  however,  from  their  own  accounts,  that  in 
a.d.  1000,  Leif,  the  son  of  Eric  the  Red,  sailed  from 
Greenland  and  at  last  reached  the  head  of  Narragansett 
Bay,  where  he  and  his  companions  spent  the  winter. 
Several  later  expeditions  were  made  by  different  Norse- 
men and,  from  their  records,  must  have  reached  far  to 
the  south.  As  Narragansett  Bay  is  only  twenty-five 
miles  from  Fishers  Island,  it  is  more  than  likely  that 
these  brave  explorers  cruised  about  its  waters.  John 
Cabot  in  1497,  Jonn  Verrazano  in  1524,  and  Barthol- 
omew Gosnold  in  1602  had  each  made  voyages  along 
the  coast,  but  as  far  as  is  known  no  settlements  were 
made  by  them  in  what  is  now  the  New  London  district 
nor  did  they  give  any  account  of  this  particular  part. 
It  was  not  until  16 14  that  we  find  mention  of  Fishers 
Island. 

Adrian  Block,  full  of  spirit  and  courage,  and  a  real 
explorer,  had  arrived  the  year  before  on  Manhattan 
Island  and  was  engaged  in  exploring  the  neighborhood. 
Losing  his  boat  by  fire,  but  not  to  be  daunted,  he  built 
the  Onrust  or  Restless.    This  boat  was  only  forty  feet 


DISCOVERY  AND  EARLY  RECORDS  3 


long,  but  in  it  he  braved  the  whirling  waters  of  Hell 
Gate  and  then  sailed  up  Long  Island  Sound,  passing  along 
until  he  reached  the  Connecticut  River,  up  which  he 
sailed.  He  was  also  the  discoverer  of  Montauk  Point 
on  Long  Island,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Fisher's 
Hook.  He  also  rediscovered  the  island  which  now 
bears  his  name  (Block  Island),  though  Verrazano  had 
discovered  it  in  1524  and  named  it  "Claudia"  in  honor 
of  the  mother  of  King  Francis  I.  The  following  first 
description  of  the  location  of  Fishers  Island  is  taken  from 
the  writings  of  John  de  Laet,  a  Dutchman,  and  one  of 
the  early  European  geographers,  who  used  in  his  writ- 
ings the  maps  and  log  books  of  Block  and  his  successor, 
Cornelis  Hendrickson,  and  other  explorers. 

"Towards  the  main  land  within  the  bay  lies  a  crooked 
point,  behind  which  there  is  a  small  stream  or  inlet, 
which  was  called  by  our  people  East  River,  since  it 
extends  towards  the  East.  There  is  another  small  river 
towards  the  west  where  the  coast  bends,  which  our  coun- 
trymen called  the  river  of  Siccanemos  after  the  name 
of  the  Sagimos  or  Sacmos;  here  is  a  good  harbor  or 
roadstead  behind  a  sand-point  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  western  shore  in  two  and  a  half  fathoms  water. 
The  river  comes  for  the  most  part  from  the  north-east, 
and  is  in  some  places  very  shallow,  having  but  nine  feet 
of  water  at  the  confluence  of  a  small  stream,  and  in  other 
places  only  six  feet.  Then  there  are  kills  or  creeks  with 
full  five  fathoms  water,  but  navigation  for  ships  extends 
only  fifteen  or  eighteen  miles.  Salmon  are  found  there. 
The  people  who  dwell  on  this  river,  according  to  the 
statements  of  our  people,  are  called  Pequotoos  and  are 
the  enemies  of  the  Wapanoos. 


4  FISHERS  ISLAND 

"A  small  island  lies  to  the  south  west  by  south  from 
this  river,  as  the  coast  runs;  near  the  west  end  of  it  a 
north  west  by  west  moon  causes  low  water.  We  find 
next  on  the  main  a  small  stream  to  which  our  people 
gave  the  name  of  the  Little  Fresh  River,  where  some 
trade  is  carried  on  with  the  natives,  who  are  called 
Morhicans." 

The  description  and  map  are  interesting,  and  the  ref- 
erence to  the  low  water  at  the  west  end  probably  refers 
to  the  ever  changing  waters  of  the  Race.  How  the  name 
of  Fishers  Island  was  given  to  it  will  probably  always 
remain  doubtful.  Historians  differ  as  to  whether  it  was 
named  after  one  of  Block's  companions  or  named  from 
the  occupation  of  the  Indians  who  were  then  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  Island. 

In  1635  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  was  commissioned  to 
found  a  plantation  at  Saybrook.  He  returned  from 
England,  as  his  father  says,  "with  commission  from  the 
Lord  Say,  Lord  Brook,  and  divers  other  great  persons 
to  begin  a  plantation  at  Connecticut  and  to  be  Governor 
there."  With  him  in  this  undertaking  were  Lion  Gar- 
diner, who  later  became  the  owner  of  Gardiner's  Island, 
and  many  other  fearless  and  brave  men. 

INDIAN  OCCUPATION 

The  Pequots,  who  had  forced  their  way  to  the  sea- 
coast,  between  the  Mohegans  and  Narragansetts,  had 
by  now  become  the  terror  of  the  other  tribes,  and  finally 
went  so  far  as  to  attack  the  white  settlers,  killing  Cap- 
tain Stone  and  Captain  Morton,  who  came  in  their  boat 
to  trade  in  the  Pequot  River — now  the  Thames.  At 


DISCOVERY  AND  EARLY  RECORDS  5 


Saybrook,  where  Gardiner  and  Winthrop  were  endeavor- 
ing to  start  a  settlement,  continual  trouble  with  the  In- 
dians was  experienced.  Men  working  in  the  fields  were 
fired  upon,  and  boats  coming  back  and  forth  on  the 
river  were  attacked.  The  feeling  grew  intense.  Either 
one  of  two  things  must  happen:  the  colonists  must  give 
up  their  plans  and  abandon  the  new  lands  to  the  savages, 
or  the  Indians  would  have  to  be  put  down.  Two  years 
after  the  murder  on  the  Pequot  River,  and  a  year  after 
the  beginning  of  the  Saybrook  colony,  the  murder  of 
John  Oldham  took  place.  As  reflecting  the  true  attitude 
of  the  men  of  the  colonies  at  that  time,  an  old  account 
of  this  brutality  is  quoted  at  some  length: 

"John  Gallop  with  one  man  more,  and  two  boys, 
coming  from  Conn  and  intending  to  put  in  at  Long 
Island,  as  he  came  from  thence,  being  at  the  mouth  of 
the  harbor  was  forced  by  a  sudden  change  of  the  wind 
to  bear  up  for  Block  or  Fisher's  Island,  where  as  they 
were  sailing  along,  they  met  with  a  Pinace,  which  they 
found  to  be  J.  Oldham's  who  had  been  sent  to  trade 
with  the  Pequods  (to  make  trial  of  the  reality  of  their 
pretended  friendship  after  the  murder  of  Captain  Stone) 
they  hailed  the  vessel,  but  had  no  answer,  although  they 
saw  the  deck  full  of  Indians  (14  in  all)  and  a  little 
before  that  had  seen  a  canoe  go  from  the  vessel  full  of 
Indians  likewise,  and  goods,  whereupon  they  suspected 
they  had  killed  John  Oldham  who  had  only  two  boys 
and  two  Narraganset  Indians  in  his  vessel  besides  him- 
self, and  the  rather  because  they  let  slip,  and  set  up 
sail  (being  two  miles  from  shore,  the  wind  and  tide 
coming  off  the  shore  of  the  Island  whereby  they  drove 
toward  the  mainland  of  Naragansett)  they  went  ahead 


6 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


of  them,  and  having  nothing  but  two  pieces,  and  two 
pistols,  they  bore  up  near  the  Indians,  who  stood  on  the 
deck  of  the  vessel  ready  armed  with  guns,  swords  and 
pikes:  but  John  Gallop,  a  man  of  stout  courage,  let  fly 
among  them  and  so  galled  them,  that  they  got  all  down 
under  the  hatches,  and  then  they  stood  off  again,  and 
returning  with  a  good  gale,  they  stemmed  her  upon  the 
quarter,  and  almost  overset  her,  which  so  affrightened 
the  Indians,  as  six  of  them  leaped  overboard,  and  were 
drowned,  yet  they  durst  not  board  her,  but  stood  off 
again,  and  fitted  their  anchor,  so  as  stemming  her  the 
second  time,  they  bored  her  bow  through  with  their 
anchor  and  sticking  fast  to  her,  they  made  divers  shot 
through  the  sides  of  her,  and  so  raked  her  fore  and  aft 
(being  but  inch  board)  as  they  must  needs  kill  or  hurt 
some  of  the  Indians,  but  seeing  none  of  them  come  forth, 
they  got  loose  from  her,  and  then  stood  off  again:  then 
four  or  five  more  of  the  Indians  leaped  into  the  sea, 
and  were  likewise  drowned:  whereupon  there  being  but 
four  left  in  her,  they  boarded  her;  when  an  Indian  came 
up  and  yielded;  him  they  bound  and  put  into  the  hole, 
then  another  yielded;  him  they  also  bound,  but  Gallop 
being  well  acquainted  with  their  skill  to  unlose  one  an- 
other, if  they  lay  near  together,  and  having  no  place  to 
keep  them  asunder,  flung  him  bound  into  the  sea;  then 
looking  about  they  found  John  Oldham  under  an  old 
sail,  stark  naked,  having  his  head  cleft  to  the  brains; 
his  hands  and  legs  cut  as  if  they  had  been  cutting  them 
off;  yet  warm;  so  they  put  him  into  the  sea;  but  could 
not  well  tell  how  to  come  at  the  other  two  Indians  (who 
were  in  a  little  room  underneath  with  their  swords)  so 
they  took  the  goods  which  were  left,  and  the  sails,  and 


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DISCOVERY  AND  EARLY  RECORDS  7 

towed  the  boat  away,  but  night  coming  on,  and  the  wind 
rising,  they  were  forced  to  turn  her  off,  and  the  wind 
carried  her  to  the  Narragansett  shore,  where  they  left 
her." 

At  this  time  Sassacus  was  the  chief  Sachem  of  the 
Pequots.  Under  him  were  twenty-six  sachems,  or  war 
captains,  the  most  prominent  being  Mononottah.  Uncas, 
a  petty  sachem,  was  of  the  royal  line  of  Pequots  on  both 
sides  of  his  family,  and  his  wife  was  the  daughter  of 
Tatobam,  also  one  of  the  Pequot  sachems.  He  rebelled 
against  Sassacus  and  from  that  time  on  was  friendly  to 
the  English. 

As  the  conditions  were  critical  in  the  extreme,  and  the 
fate  of  the  colonists  depended  on  vigorous  measures  be- 
ing taken  against  the  Pequots,  a  campaign  was  under- 
taken. Captain  John  Mason,  with  Captain  Underhill 
and  ninety  men,  left  Saybrook  on  the  12th  of  May,  1637, 
with  orders  to  proceed  to  the  Pequot  River  and  there 
attack  the  Indians.  These  plans  were  changed,  however, 
as  it  was  felt  that  it  would  be  better  to  proceed  to  Nar- 
ragansett Bay,  get  help  from  the  sachem  of  the  Narra- 
gansett Indians,  and  then  to  march  to  the  Pequot  fort 
and  attack  from  that  side.  This  they  did,  sailing  along 
the  Sound  and  past  the  Indian  strongholds  until  they 
reached  Narragansett  Bay.  Here  they  got  in  touch  with 
the  sachem,  who  furnished  five  hundred  Indians  to  go 
with  them  to  the  attack  on  the  Pequots.  These  Indians, 
however,  became  fearful  as  they  approached  their  ene- 
mies' fort,  and  many  deserted.  Uncas,  who  had  joined 
with  the  soldiers,  warned  them  that  the  Narragansetts 
would  all  desert,  and  this  was  later  the  case.  On  they 
marched,  and  finally,  when  night  fell,  were  near  Mystic. 


8 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


They  slept  at  a  place  that  is  now  called  Porter's  Rocks. 
Guards  were  appointed  and  they  could  hear  the  Indians 
singing  in  their  fort  and  exulting  that  the  soldiers  were 
afraid  to  attack  and  had  sailed  past  their  forts.  The 
following  morning  they  marched  about  two  miles  and 
then  Uncas  and  Wequash  pointed  out  the  fort  on  the 
top  of  a  hill. 

"Then  Captain  Underhill  came  up,  who  marched  in 
the  rear  ;  and  commending  ourselves  to  God,  we  divided 
our  men,  there  being  two  entrances  into  the  fort,  intend- 
ing to  enter  both  at  once.  Captain  Mason  leading  up  to 
that  on  the  north  east  side,  who  approached  within  one 
rod,  heard  a  dog  bark,  and  an  Indian  crying  Owanux! 
Owanux !  which  is — Englishmen !  Englishmen !  We 
called  up  our  forces  with  all  expedition,  gave  fire  upon 
them  through  the  pallizado,  the  Indians  being  in  a  dead, 
indeed  their  last  sleep.  Then  we  wheeling  off,  fell  upon 
the  main  entrance,  which  was  blocked  up  with  bushes 
about  breast  high,  over  which  the  Captain  passed,  in- 
tending to  make  good  the  entrance,  encouraging  the  rest 
to  follow.  Lieutenant  Sealey  endeavored  to  enter;  but 
being  somewhat  cumbered,  stepped  back  and  pulled  out 
the  bushes  and  so  entered,  and  with  him  about  sixteen 
men.  We  had  formerly  concluded  to  destroy  them  by 
the  sword  and  save  the  plunder. 

"Whereupon  Captain  Mason  seeing  no  Indians,  entered 
a  Wigwam,  where  he  was  beset  with  many  Indians,  wait- 
ing all  opportunities  to  lay  hands  on  him,  but  could  not 
prevail.  At  length  William  Heydon,  espying  the  breach 
in  the  wigwam,  supposing  some  English  might  be  there, 
entered,  but  in  his  entrance  fell  over  a  dead  Indian;  but 
speedily  recovering  himself,  the  Indians  some  fled,  others 


DISCOVERY  AND  EARLY  RECORDS  9 


crept  under  their  beds.  The  Captain  going  out  of  his 
wigwam  saw  many  Indians  in  the  lane  or  street;  he 
making  towards  them,  they  fled,  were  pursued  to  the 
end  of  the  lane,  where  they  were  met  by  Edward  Pat- 
tison,  Thomas  Barber,  with  some  others;  where  seven 
of  them  were  slain  as  they  said.  The  Captain  facing 
about,  marched  a  slow  pace  up  the  lane;  he  came  down 
perceiving  himself  very  much  out  of  breath,  and  coming 
to  the  other  end,  near  where  he  first  entered,  saw  two 
soldiers  standing  close  to  the  palisado,  with  their  swords 
pointed  to  the  ground:  the  Captain  told  them  that  we 
should  never  kill  them  after  this  manner.  The  Captain 
also  said,  We  must  burn  them;  and  immediately  stepping 
into  the  wigwam  where  he  had  been  before,  brought  out 
a  fire  brand,  and  putting  it  into  the  mats  with  which 
they  were  covered,  set  the  wigwams  on  fire.  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Bull  and  Nicholas  Omsted  beholding,  came  up; 
and  when  it  was  thoroughly  kindled,  the  Indians  ran  as 
men  most  dreadfully  amazed. 

"And  indeed  such  a  dreadful  terror  did  the  Almighty 
let  fall  upon  their  spirits,  that  they  would  fly  from  us 
and  run  into  the  very  flames,  where  many  of  them  per- 
ished. And  when  the  fort  was  thoroughly  fired,  com- 
mand was  given  that  all  should  fall  off  and  surround 
the  fort;  which  was  readily  attended  by  all,  only  one, 
Arthur  Smith,  being  so  wounded  that  he  could  not  move 
out  of  the  place,  who  was  happily  espied  by  Lieutenant 
Bull,  and  by  him  rescued.  The  fire  was  kindled  on  the 
north  east  side  to  the  windward;  which  did  swiftly  over- 
run the  fort,  to  the  extreme  amazement  of  the  enemy, 
and  great  rejoicing  of  ourselves.  Some  of  them  climbing 
to  the  top  of  the  palizado,  others  of  them  running  into 


io  FISHERS  ISLAND 

the  very  flames;  many  of  them  gathering  to  the  wind- 
ward, lay  pelting  at  us  with  their  arrows;  and  we  repaid 
them  with  small  shot;  others  of  the  stoutest  issued  forth, 
as  we  did  guess,  to  the  number  of  forty,  who  perished 
by  the  sword. 

"What  I  have  formerly  said,  is  according  to  my  own 
knowledge,  their  being  sufficient  living  testimony  to  every 
particular.  But  in  reference  to  Capt.  Underhill  and  his 
parties  acting  in  this  assault,  I  can  only  intimate  as  we 
are  informed  by  some  of  themselves  immediately  after 
the  fight,  that  they  marched  up  to  the  entrance  on  the 
south  west  side;  there  they  made  some  pause;  a  valiant 
resolute  gentleman,  one  Mr.  Hedge,  stepping  towards 
the  gate,  saying:  'If  we  may  not  enter,  wherefor  come 
we  here?'  and  immediately  endeavored  to  enter;  but  was 
opposed  by  a  sturdy  Indian,  which  did  impede  his  en- 
trance; but  the  Indian  being  slain  by  himself  and  Ser- 
geant Davis,  Mr.  Hedge  entered  the  fort  with  some 
others;  but  the  fort  being  on  fire,  the  smoke  and  flames 
were  so  violent  that  they  were  constrained  to  desert  the 
fort.  .  .  .  Thus  they  were  now  at  their  wits'  end, 
who  not  many  hours  before  exalted  themselves  in  their 
great  pride,  threatening  and  resolving  the  utter  ruin  and 
destruction  of  all  the  English,  exulting  and  rejoicing  with 
songs  and  dances;  but  God  was  above  them,  who  laughed 
his  enemies  and  the  enemies  of  his  people  to  scorn;  mak- 
ing them  as  a  fiery  oven.  Thus  were  the  stout  hearted 
spoiled,  having  slept  their  last  sleep,  and  none  of  their 
men  could  find  their  hands.  Thus  did  the  Lord  judge 
among  the  heathen,  filling  the  place  with  dead  bodies. 
And  here  we  may  see  the  just  judgement  of  God,  in  send- 
ing even  the  very  night  before  the  assault  one  hundred 


DISCOVERY  AND  EARLY  RECORDS  n 


and  fifty  men  from  the  other  fort,  to  join  with  them 
of  that  place,  who  were  designed  as  some  of  themselves 
reported  to  go  forth  against  the  English,  at  the  very 
instant  when  this  heavy  stroke  came  upon  them,  where 
they  perished  with  their  fellows,  so  that  the  mischief 
they  intended  to  us,  came  upon  their  own  pate.  They 
were  taken  in  their  own  snare,  and  we  through  mercy 
escaped.  And  thus  in  a  little  more  than  one  hour's 
space  was  their  impregnable  fort  with  themselves  utterly 
destroyed,  to  the  number  of  six  or  seven  hundred  as 
some  of  themselves  confessed.  There  were  only  seven 
taken  captive,  and  about  seven  escaped.  Of  the  Eng- 
lish there  were  two  slain  outright,  and  about  twenty 
wounded.  .  . 

The  other  fort,  nearer  New  London,  was  not  attacked, 
but  Captain  Mason  and  his  soldiers,  on  their  way  to  the 
Pequot  River  to  meet  their  ships,  kept  up  a  continuous 
fight  with  the  Indians,  though  not  engaging  in  any  hand- 
to-hand  fighting.  This  massacre,  for  it  could  scarcely 
be  called  by  any  other  name,  put  an  end  to  the  Pequot 
power.  Sassacus,  the  chief  sachem,  with  some  of  his 
followers  fled  and  made  their  way  to  the  Mohawk  tribe, 
where  they  were  murdered.  A  large  number  were  slain 
at  Fairfield,  where  they  were  overtaken  while  endeavor- 
ing to  escape,  and  this  war  ended  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Great  Swamp  fight.  So  thoroughly  were  the  Indians 
killed  and  driven  out  of  the  country  that  we  hear  of  no 
more  real  trouble  in  the  Pequot  district  from  this  time 
on.  The  almost  complete  destruction  of  the  Indians 
made  it  a  certainty  that  the  colonists  would  succeed,  and 
it  paved  the  way  for  immediate  action  of  John  Win- 
throp,  Jr.,  and  his  plans  for  settling  Connecticut. 


Early  Settlers 

JOHN  WINTHROP,  JR.,  or,  as  he  was  usually 
called,  the  Younger,  was  born  in  Groton,  England, 
February  12th,  1605.  He  was  educated  at  the 
University  of  Dublin  and  afterwards  studied  law  in 
London,  where  he  was  admitted  as  a  barrister  of  the 
Inner  Temple.  In  1627  he  was  appointed  Secretary  to 
Captain  Best  on  one  of  the  ships  of  war  which  were  being 
sent  out,  under  the  command  of  the  Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham, for  the  relief  of  the  French  Protestants  of  La  Ro- 
chelle.  He  was  married  to  his  cousin,  Martha  Fones, 
on  Feb.  8th,  1631,  and  set  out  the  same  year  for  the 
New  England  colonies.  The  next  year  we  find  him  at 
Ipswich,  which  he  had  founded.  His  wife  having  died 
in  1634,  he  married  a  second  time,  choosing  Elizabeth 
Reade,  the  step-daughter  of  the  well-known  Hugh  Peters. 
The  following  year  we  find  him  at  Saybrook.  Winthrop 
was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  skill  in  medicine  and  ad- 
ministrative ability,  and,  with  the  combination  of  these 
assets,  did  for  Connecticut  what  his  father  had  done  for 
the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony. 

Soon  after  the  Pequots  had  been  defeated  at  Mystic, 
Winthrop,  who  had  fancied  Fishers  Island  for  his  own, 
applied  to  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  for  a 
grant,  which  was  made  to  him  Oct.  7th,  1640,  but  "re- 
serving the  right  of  Connecticut,  if  it  should  be  decided 
to  be  theirs.  .  .  ."    To  insure  still  further  his  owner- 

12 


JOHN  WINTHROP, 


EARLY  SETTLERS 


13 


ship,  Winthrop  applied  to  Hartford  for  a  grant  and 
received  the  following  under  the  date  of  Apr.  9th, 
1641 : 

"Vppon  Mr  Winthrops  motion  to  the  Courte  for 
Fyshers  Island,  It  is  the  mynd  of  the  Courte,  that  so 
farre  as  yt  hinders  not  the  publick  good  of  the  Country, 
either  for  fortifieing  for  defence,  or  setting  vppe  a  trade 
of  fisheing  or  salt  &  such  like,  he  shall  have  liberty  to 
prceed  therein." 

Soon  after  obtaining  these  grants  he  set  sail  for 
England  to  form  a  Company  for  the  making  of  iron, 
which  was  sorely  needed  in  the  Colony.  He  was  success- 
ful in  this,  but  did  not  return  to  the  Colonies  until  1643. 
The  following  year  he  purchased  from  the  Indians  the 
title  to  Fishers  Island,  but  this  deed  unfortunately  has 
never  been  found,  though  twenty  years  later  the  Duke  of 
York's  patent  mentions  that  this  sale  had  been  made. 

The  settling  of  the  Island  commenced  in  1644,  and  the 
house  constructed  was  the  first  one  in  the  entire  district 
between  the  Connecticut  River  and  the  Providence  Plan- 
tations lying  far  to  the  eastward.  It  would  be  most  in- 
teresting to  know  the  precise  spot  where  this  house  stood, 
but  we  have  no  records  that  tell  of  any  definite  location. 
One  account  says:  "It  was  sheltered  on  the  north  and 
west  by  the  banks  and  woods  encircling  a  bay  in  which  it 
nestled,  and  the  air  above  it  was  softened  by  the  warm- 
ing influence  of  the  surrounding  ocean."  Another  says, 
"Here  also  was  comparative  safety.  The  island  afforded 
less  range  to  dangerous  beasts  of  prey,  and  was  less 
accessible  to  them.  True,  it  abounded  with  deer  and 
other  wild  game,  which  would  make  it  attractive  to  In- 
dians; .  .        These  descriptions  are  very  meagre,  but 


14 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


undoubtedly  it  was  situated  not  far  from  the  edge  of 
West  Harbor,  and  most  likely  near  the  present  Mansion 
House. 

Winthrop  had  seen  the  possibilities  in  starting  a  set- 
tlement on  the  Pequot  River,  and  as  he  was  the  owner 
of  the  island  home,  which  was  free  from  many  dangers 
that  he  might  meet  with  on  the  mainland,  moved  in 
October,  1646,  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  Fitz-John 
and  Margaret,  to  Fishers  Island.  He  was  also  accom- 
panied by  his  brother,  Deane  Winthrop.  These  colonists 
were  most  courageous,  and  when  one  realizes  that  this 
little  party  was  a  long  distance  from  friends  or  neigh- 
bors and  was  too  few  in  numbers  to  care  for  itself  in 
case  of  an  Indian  uprising,  which  might  occur  at  any 
moment,  it  will  help  to  show  that  Winthrop  was  not 
lacking  in  determination  to  make  the  settlement  on  the 
Pequot  River  a  success.  Without  doubt  the  first  house 
on  the  Island  was  built  of  logs,  cut  and  hewed  on  the 
ground,  and  probably  close  to  some  spring.  Perhaps 
one  day  some  fortunate  person  will  find  the  exact  spot, 
and  if  so,  a  suitable  monument  should  be  erected  to  mark 
the  location  of  the  first  home  built  in  the  Pequot  Colony. 

Only  a  few  letters  can  be  found,  addressed  to  the 
Island  at  this  period,  and  from  these  it  is  evident  that 
Winthrop  moved  his  family  the  next  spring  to  the 
new  settlement  he  was  starting,  called  in  those  days 
Nameauge,  which  later  was  renamed  New  London.  One 
letter  is  addressed  in  November,  1646,  "To  my  very 
good  son,  Mr  Jo.  Winthrop  at  Fishers  Island,  n'r  Pequot 
River."  The  last  letter  addressed  to  him  at  Fishers 
Island  bears  the  date  of  May,  1647.  Later  letters  were 
addressed,  "Nameauge  upon  Pequot  River." 


EARLY  SETTLERS 


15 


"My  Good  Son:— 

"I  have  written  two  letters  to  you  by  Wm  Crawley 
and  the  other  by  New  Haven.  I  received  your  letter 
from  Rhode  Island  and  do  bless  God  for  your  safe 
arrival  at  Fishers  Island.  I  think  before  long  to  hear 
certainly  from  you,  for  the  tempest  was  most  violent. 
Some  hurt  was  here,  especially  by  the  tide  the  second  day 
after,  which  was  the  greatest  we  ever  had,  much  fish  and 
salt  lost  at  eastward,  and  terrible  loss  here  about  is 
feared.  We  are  all  in  good  health  I  praise  God.  Wait 
is  with  his  sister  Truesdale  and  Mary  at  Sister  Childs. 

"This  gentleman,  Mr  Melbourne  can  inform  you  of 
all,  or  in  my  other  letters  you  will  meet  with  more.  So 
with  your  mother's  and  brother's  and  sister's  salutes  to 
yourself  and  wife  and  children  and  Deane,  I  commend 
thee  to  the  precious  blessing  of  the  Lord. 

"JO.  WlNTHROP." 

A  letter  was  sent  in  May,  1647,  addressed  in  rather 
a  quaint  way  from  Adam  Winthrop : — "To  his  much 
honored  Brother  John  Winthrop,  Esq.,  Give  these,  I 
pray. 

"I  have  sent  a  hogsd  of  salt  by  Captane  Smith,  which 
he  will  deliver  at  Fishers  Island.  I  thought  you  might 
have  some  need  off  it." 

The  winter  spent  on  the  Island  by  the  Winthrops  was 
uneventful  except  for  trouble  caused  at  one  time  by 
some  Indians.  Nowequa,  a  brother  of  Uncas,  visited 
the  Island  and  destroyed  a  canoe.  Winthrop,  to  punish 
them  for  this  and  their  threatening  behavior,  forced 
Uncas  to  pay  one  hundred  fathoms  of  wampum,  or  In- 
dian money,  which  was  a  severe  punishment. 


1 6  FISHERS  ISLAND 

"The  Island  was  not  as  large  as  his  ambitious  spirit 
wished,  or  the  work  to  which  he  had  dedicated  himself 
called  for,  so  we  find  him  building  a  house  on  the  town 
plot,  the  present  site  of  Winthrop  school,  New  London, 
and  removing  his  family  there.  The  children,  Elizabeth, 
Wait-Still,  Mary  and  Lucy,  who  had  been  left  in  Boston 
with  their  grandparents  during  the  winter,  joined  their 
parents  in  the  new  home  in  New  London." 

How  much  time  Winthrop  was  able  to  devote  to 
Fishers  Island  is  not  known.  From  the  first  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  settling  of  the  new  town  on  the  Pequot 
River  and  was  also  greatly  interested  in  the  affairs  of 
the  new  colony.  In  1648  he  was  authorized  "to  super- 
intend the  affairs  of  the  plantation."  For  several  years 
he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  twelve  magistrates.  In  this 
capacity  he  was  once  asked  to  marry  a  couple  who  lived 
near  Lyme,  which  was  outside  of  his  jurisdiction.  He 
performed  the  ceremony  by  a  brook  which  was  the 
boundary  between  his  colony  and  that  of  Saybrook  while 
he  stood  on  one  side  and  the  bride  and  groom  on  the 
other.  To  this  day  this  little  stream  that  winds  its  way 
through  field  and  wood  is  called  Bride's  Brook,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  event. 

On  the  Island  Winthrop  raised  horses  and  goats.  The 
first  horses  ever  seen  in  Connecticut  were  supposed  to 
have  been  brought  there  by  him  in  1645.  The  business 
of  raising  horses  was  carried  on  by  him  for  years  and 
afterwards  by  his  sons.  The  band  of  goats  that  he  kept 
on  the  Island  was  of  considerable  size.  One  account 
says:  uAt  a  time  when  the  Narragansett  Indians  were 
considered  turbulent  (Nov.,  1654)  a  report  was  current, 
that  they  had  killed  two  hundred  of  Mr.  Winthrop's 


EARLY  SETTLERS  17 

goats."  At  one  time,  after  Winthrop  was  chosen  Gov- 
ernor, New  Haven  desired  to  have  him  reside  in  that 
city  and  offered  to  give  him  a  house.  As  he  did  not  care 
to  be  indebted  to  the  people  of  New  Haven,  he  offered 
in  return  to  pay  for  the  house  in  goats,  but  in  the  end 
remained  at  Hartford,  which  was  more  in  the  center  of 
the  Colony,  where  he  was  better  able  to  keep  in  touch 
with  all  sections. 

In  1657  Jonn  Winthrop,  Jr.,  was  elected  Governor 
of  Connecticut.  He  realized  that  the  Connecticut  title 
for  the  Colony  was  not  as  it  should  be,  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  General  Court  in  1662  to  obtain  a  charter 
from  King  Charles  II.  Taking  with  him  a  seal  ring, 
given  to  his  father  by  Charles  I,  as  a  means  of  identifica- 
tion, he  sailed  for  England  where  he  was  well  received 
and  obtained  a  charter  that  was  all  that  could  be  desired 
by  the  colonists.  This  charter  was  the  same  one  that  was 
later  hidden  in  the  celebrated  hollow  tree  that  history 
has  called  the  "Charter  Oak."  This  charter,  besides 
laying  out  the  boundaries  of  Connecticut,  included  the 
"islands  adjacent,"  which  meant  to  the  colonists  that 
Fishers  Island,  Gardiner's  Island,  Shelter  Island  and  all 
the  others  belonged  to  Connecticut.  So  widespread  was 
this  belief  that  Long  Island  itself  was  thought  for  some 
time  to  be  a  part  of  Connecticut. 

The  King's  grant  of  land  to  his  brother,  the  Duke 
of  York,  in  1664,  specified  more  clearly  than  did  the 
Connecticut  charter  the  islands  that  should  be  included 
in  the  grant.  Connecticut  still  endeavored  to  control 
Fishers  Island,  and  several  of  the  towns  on  the  eastern 
end  of  Long  Island  petitioned  the  King  to  be  allowed 
to  remain  in  the  Connecticut  Colony.    Southold,  of  which 


i8 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


Fishers  Island  is  now  a  part,  together  with  South  Hamp- 
ton and  East  Hampton,  were  the  petitioners. 

As  Fishers  Island  was  specifically  mentioned  in  the 
Duke  of  York's  Patent  to  Richard  Nicolls,  Governor 
Winthrop  procured  a  Patent  of  Confirmation  as  follows: 

"Whereas  there  is  a  certaine  Island  wthin  this  Gov- 
ernm*  Scituate  lying  &  being  in  ye  Sound  neare  unto  New 
London  comonly  called  &  knowne  by  ye  name  of  ftishers 
Island  Conteyning  by  Estimation  one  thousand  acres  be 
it  more  or  lesse  wch  said  Island  was  heretofore  pur- 
chased from  ye  Indian  Proprietors  by  John  Winthrop 
Esqre  governor  of  his  Maties  Colony  of  Conecticott  in 
whose  tenure  or  possession  it  now  is  &  ever  since  the 
purchase  thereof  hath  so  beene  &  Continued  Now  for  & 
in  Consideration  of  ye  said  Purchase  &  longe  possession 
as  also  for  ye  good  services  performed  by  him  the  said 
John  Winthrop  at  ye  Reducing  of  this  Place  to  his 
Maties  obediance  (he  being  prsent  thereat)  togethr  wth 
ye  many  good  &  Neighbourly  offices  done  toward  ye 
security  &  benefitt  of  this  Colony  and  for  divers  other 
Causes  &  Considerations  we  thereunto  especially  moving 
Know  yee,  that  by  vertue  of  ye  Commission  &  authority 
unto  me  given  by  his  Royall  Highness  James  Duke  of 
Yorke  &c  upon  whome  by  Lawfull  graunt  &  Pattent 
from  his  Matie  ye  Propriety  &  governm1  of  Long  Island 
and  all  ye  Islands  adjacent  amongst  othr  things  is  Setled 
I  have  given  Ratifyed  Confirmed  &  graunted  &  by  theise 
prsents  doe  Give  Ratifye  Confirme  &  Graunt  unto  ye 
said  John  Winthrop  his  Heires  &  Assignes  ye  said  Island 
called  Fishers  Island  aforesaid.  Together  with  All  ye 
Sands  Soyles  Woodz  Meadows  Pastures  Marshes  Lakes 
Waters  Creeks  Fishing  Hawking  Hunting  &  Fowling 


EARLY  SETTLERS 


i9 


and  all  other  Profitts  Commodityes  Emolumits  &  Heredi- 
tamits  to  ye  said  Island  belonging  with  their  and  every 
of  their  appurtenances  &  of  every  Parte  and  Parcell 
thereof  ...  Ye  said  Island  &  premises  now  is  and  for 
ever  here  after  shall  be  held  deemed  reputed  taken  &  be 
an  Intire  Enfranchised  Township  Mannor  &  Place  of  it- 
self &  shall  alwayes  from  tyme  to  tyme  &  at  all  tymes 
hereafter  have  hould  and  injoy  like  &  Equall  privileges 
&  Immunityes  with  any  Towne  Infranchised  Place  or 
Mannour  within  the  Goverm*  only  yielding  Rendering  & 
Paying  yearly  &  every  Yeare  into  his  Royall  Highnesse 
ye  Duke  of  Yorke  &  his  Heires  or  to  such  Governour  or 
Governours  as  from  tyme  to  tyme  shall  be  by  him  Con- 
stituted &  appointed  as  an  acknowledgment  One  Lamb 
upon  ye  first  day  of  May  if  ye  same  shall  be  demanded." 

Evidently  the  "One  Lamb"  was  paid  each  year,  as  in 
1680  Governor  Andross,  writing  to  Winthrop's  son, 
says,  "to  repeate  &  acknowledge  the  receipt  by  him  of 
ye  lambe  you  paid  him  (as  authorized)  for  acknowl- 
edgmt  of  ye  tenure  of  Fishers  Island  and  is  in  full  to  this 
time.', 

The  question  of  state  ownership  of  Fishers  Island  was 
not  legally  settled  until  1878-9,  when  a  joint  committee 
of  the  two  states,  New  York  and  Connecticut,  met  and 
decided  that  "New  York  has  now  the  title,  having  had 
actual  possession  of  it  for  more  than  a  century."  The 
Connecticut  Commission  gave  this  decision:  "In  regard 
to  Fishers  Island,  it  ought  by  reason  of  its  nearness  to 
our  coast  to  belong  to  Connecticut.  It  belongs  to  us,  we 
think,  under  a  fair  construction  of  the  charter  of  1662, 
which  by  express  words  gave  us  the  islands  adjacent  to 
the  main  land;  but  upon  familiar  principles  of  law,  New 


20 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


York  has  now  the  title,  having  had  actual  possession  of 
it  for  more  than  a  century." 

As  was  so  often  the  case  in  those  days  with  prominent 
men,  Winthrop  obtained  possession  of  much  land  near 
New  London  and  elsewhere  in  the  Colonies.  "These 
possessions,  briefly  enumerated,  were  Winthrop's  Neck, 
200  acres;  Mill-Pond  farm,  300;  land  north  of  the  town 
on  Alewife  Brook  and  in  its  vicinity,  1500;  land  at 
Pequonuck,  6000;  Little  Cove  farm,  half  a  mile  square 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  .  .  .  — these  were  within  the 
bounds  of  New  London.  On  Mystic  River,  five  or  six 
hundred  acres;  at  Lanthorn  Hill  and  its  vicinity,  3000; 
and  on  the  coast,  Fishers  Island  and  its  Hammocks,  and 
Goat  Island  (Ram  Is.).  Governor  Winthrop  had  also 
an  undisputed  title  from  court  grants  to  large  tracts  in 
Voluntown,  Plainfield,  Canterbury,  Woodstock  and  Say- 
brook,  amounting  to  ten  or  twelve  thousand  acres.  He 
also  claimed  the  whole  of  what  was  called  Black-lead 
Mine  Hill  in  the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  com- 
puted to  be  ten  miles  in  circumference." 

From  an  old  record  bearing  the  date  of  1647,  it  aP" 
pears  that  Winthrop  wished  for  other  lands.  "At  this 
meeting  Mr.  John  Winthrop,  of  Pequot,  laid  claim  to 
the  whole  country  of  the  western  Nehanticks,  including  a 
considerable  part  of  the  town  of  Lyme.  He  represented 
that  he  obtained  the  title  to  this  large  tract  partly  by 
purchase,  and  partly  by  deed  of  gift,  before  the  Pequot 
War."  The  Commissioners  of  Connecticut  pleaded 
against  the  claim  of  Mr.  Winthrop,  that  his  purchase 
bore  no  date  .  .  .  and  "declined  any  decision  of  the  con- 
troversy; but  it  does  not  appear  that  Mr.  Winthrop  ever 


EARLY  SETTLERS 


21 


after  prosecuted  his  claim."  uAs  it  seems  Mr.  Winthrop, 
about  this  time,  had  a  design  of  purchasing  Long  Island, 
the  Commissioners  took  occasion  to  premonish  him,  that 
the  Island  was  already  under  engagements  for  consider- 
able sums  of  money,  to  a  number  of  persons  in  Con- 
necticut and  New  Haven."  The  Colonies  were  poor, 
little  money  coming  into  their  treasuries  to  be  used  for 
running  expenses,  and  so  it  was  that  the  men  who  were 
running  the  Colonies  were  forced  to  take  land  in  lieu 
of  money  on  the  chance  that  they  might  derive  some 
benefit  from  part  of  it.  They  were  land  poor  and  con- 
tinually were  obliged  to  borrow  to  meet  their  daily  ex- 
penses. 

We  read  little  of  social  activities  in  the  old  records, 
just  a  mention  here  and  there  showing  that  on  occasions 
they  met  at  one  place  or  another,  but  undoubtedly  they 
occasionally  broke  the  monotony  of  their  wilderness  life. 
Lion  Gardiner  on  his  island,  called  in  those  days  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  and  Lady  Fenwick  at  Saybrook,  "paid 
passing  gay  visits  by  boat  to  Mrs.  Anna  Walcott  Gris- 
wold  at  Black  Hall,  or  to  the  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  at  Fishers  Island,  of  Pequot."  The 
Sylvesters,  living  on  Shelter  Island,  were  of  this  little 
group,  and  a  pathetic  paragraph  from  Sylvester  begs 
advice  because  the  baby  is  sick  and  in  danger  of  stran- 
gling, "and  here  we  are  quite  out  of  ye  way  of  help." 

Aside  from  all  his  other  activities,  Winthrop  was 
continually  called  upon  for  medical  advice — a  subject 
on  which  he  possessed  much  knowledge — and  many  of 
his  letters  contain  remedies.  His  favorite  was  called 
Rubelia,  and  appears  to  have  been  given  for  a  number 


22 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


of  complaints.  The  formula  for  this  has  never  been 
found  and  it  is  somewhat  uncertain  of  what  it  was  com- 
posed. 

There  was  a  spirit  of  helpfulness  between  the  Colonies, 
and  letters  passed  between  them,  some  giving  warnings 
of  the  Indians  and  others  offering  to  help  in  different 
ways,  such  as  the  following: 

"To  the  honored  John  Winthrop,  Esq;  Governour  of 

Connectacute  Colonie,  these  present  in  Hartford. 
"Honoured  Sir; — 

u.  .  .  I  shall  onely,  at  present,  add  that  since  my 
wrighting  to  you,  I  have  received  letters  &  bookes,  & 
written  papers  from  my  ancient  &  honored  friends  Mr. 
Hartlib,  &  Mr.  Durie,  wherein  I  find  sundry  rarities  of 
inventions,  &  projects  for  common  good,  of  sundry 
kindes,  which  I  long  for  an  opportunitie  to  communicate 
to  your  selfe,  might  your  first  leasure  give  us  an  occasion 
of  personal  discourse  together.  They  are  too  many  to 
be  transmitted  unto  you  by  passengers,  &  yet  such  as, 
I  believe,  will  affoard  singular  contentment  to  your  pub- 
lick  spirit,  &  probably  you  will  finde  some  particularities, 
among  them,  which  may  be  advantagious  to  your  private 
proffit,  in  the  improvement  of  your  Fishers  Island,  &  .  .  . 

"Sir,  Your  much  obliged  freind  &  servant 

"John  Davenporte. 
"Newhaven,  the  19th  day  of  the  6th  month,  1659." 

At  one  time,  Winthrop  thought  of  selling  the  Island, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  letter,  but  the  deal 
was  never  consummated  and  the  Island  remained  in  his 
possession. 


EARLY  SETTLERS 


23 


"To  ye  Honrble  Governor  Winthrope,  present  in  Hart- 
ford. 

"Newhauen,  ye  6th  Decmbr  1669. 

"Honrble  Sr— 

"You  were  pleased  some  time  since  to  informe  mee 
that  you  have  some  inclination  to  dispose  of  Fishers 
Island.  Now  it  is  soe  that  a  gentleman  in  Barbados 
(one  Capt.  Anthony  Lane)  hath  lately  written  vnto  me 
concerning  it,  desireing  to  knowe  whether  it  bee  to  bee 
sould;  if  soe,  then  ye  accomodations  of  all  sortes  as  stock, 
buildings,  &  to  be  disposed  wth  it,  together  wth  ye  good- 
ness of  ye  title,  &  ye  lowest  price,  though  it  bee  for 
money  in  England;  &  vpon  information  thereof  will  give 
his  speedy  answer  whether  he  accepts  or  refuses. 

.  .  If  you  please  to  command  mee  any  thing  con- 
cerning ye  premises,  if  it  come  time  enough,  shall  advise 
by  the  sd  vessell  wch  wth  tenders  of  mine  &  my  wifes 
obliged  servise  to  your  selfe  &  good  lady,  craving  pardon 
for  this  boldness,  is  the  needfull  at  present  from, 

"Sr,  Your  honrs  humble  and  devoted  servt. 

"William  Rosewell." 

"To  Right  Honble  David  Searl,  Governr  of  Barbados, 

"...  I  provided  last  sumer  two  young  bucks,  and 
for  the  safety  of  them  put  them  vpon  an  iland  where 
my  servants  kept  them  very  tame  and  fitted  them  for  a 
sea  voyage  by  learning  to  eat  such  things  as  may  be 
sutable  for  them  at  sea.  The  one  of  them  being  brought 
over  to  New  Lond:  to  be  ready  for  the  first  oportunity 
of  passage  was  accidentally  lost;  the  other  I  hope  is  safe 
vpon  the  Iland,  and  have  severall  tymes  sent  down  order 
to  my  servants,  yt  it  should  be  ready  for  Mr.  Hamblins 


24 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


coming  thither,  but  now  he  informs  me  yt  he  is  not  likely 
to  touch  in  these  parts,  having  taken  in  his  full  fraught 
heere  in  the  river;  I  shall  therfore  give  order  it  to  be 
kept  inland  for  the  next  oportunity.  .  .  . 
"Your  most  huble  servant. 

"J.  w. 

"Hartf:  May  22,  1660." 

On  the  fifth  day  of  April,  1676,  John  Winthrop,  Jr., 
died  at  Boston,  Mass.  Thirty-one  years  previously  he 
had  spent  his  first  winter  at  Fishers  Island,  and  had  then 
founded  New  London,  and  had  later  been  chosen  Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut,  which  position  he  had  held  for 
about  eighteen  years.  He  had  gone  to  Boston  to  take 
part  in  the  meeting  of  the  Commissioners,  at  which  he 
represented  Connecticut.  He  was  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  Kings  Chapel,  in  the  tomb  with  his  father,  where 
Fitz-John  and  Wait-Still,  his  two  sons,  were  afterwards 
buried. 

By  his  death  the  colony  lost  its  founder,  who  had 
been  working  continually  for  her  welfare,  and  it  was  due 
largely  to  his  strong  character  and  perseverance  that  the 
Colony  had  not  failed.  He  was  probably  not  so  great 
a  character  as  his  father,  but  he  was  an  outstanding 
man  of  his  time  and  his  advice  was  sought  for  by  his 
contemporaries  in  the  management  of  Colonial  affairs. 


Colonial  Days 


T  the  death  of  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  his  two  sons, 


Fitz-John  and  Wait-Still,  were  left  the  owners 


of  their  father's  large  estates,  and  this  property 
was  never  divided  during  their  lives.  Fitz-John  had  no 
sons,  and  so  it  was  agreed  to  keep  the  majority  of  the 
lands  in  the  Winthrop  name  and  that  John,  the  son  of 
Wait-Still,  should  eventually  own  Fishers  Island  and  the 
other  properties.  The  two  brothers  had  commissions  in 
the  Colonial  army,  but  Fitz-John  was  the  more  active  in 
military  affairs  and  rose  to  be  a  Major  General.  Fitz- 
John,  or  John,  as  he  was  usually  called,  was  born  at 
Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  March  14th,  1638.  He  re- 
ceived his  training  in  the  English  army  and  was  made 
Governor  of  Stirling  Castle,  being  one  time  a  General 
in  Monk's  army.  Eventually  he  felt  drawn  to  the  col- 
onies, and  gave  up  his  duties  in  England,  returning  to 
help  the  young  Colony  in  its  effort  to  succeed. 

He  was  a  member  of  several  quite  important  commis- 
sions and  finally  was  appointed  head  of  military  affairs 
for  the  Colony.  At  this  time  he  made  his  home  in  New 
London,  though  he  had  his  house  on  Fishers  Island, 
where  he  quite  often  went  and  visited  while  looking 
over  the  stock  that  was  kept  there.  Before  coming  over 
to  America,  Fitz-John  had  received  the  following  letter 
from  his  father. 


26 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


"For  my  beloved  Sonn,  Capt.  Fitz-John  Winthrop  in 
Col.  Read's  Regiment  in  London. 

"Hartf:  Sept  5-1660. 
"Sonne,  ...  I  rejoice  and  bless  God  to  heare  of  your 
health  and  recovery  out  of  that  dangerous  sicknesse  the 
small  pox." 

This  dread  disease  was  not  restricted  only  to  Eng- 
land for  the  colonists  were  much  troubled  with  it,  and 
it  added  to  their  other  burdens,  that  were  met  with  in 
the  wilds  of  New  England." 

An  extract  from  an  old  journal  of  one  of  the  early 
missionaries,  George  Fox,  gives  quite  an  interesting  note 
concerning  the  Island  and  its  neighborhood. 

"1672.  (about  the  last  of  May) 
"I  went  from  hence  [Narraganset]  towards  Shelter 
Island,  having  with  me  Robert  Widders,  .  .  .  We  went 
off  in  a  sloop;  and  passing  by  Point  Juda  and  Block 
Island,  we  came  to  Fishers  Island,  where  at  night  we 
went  on  shore,  but  were  not  able  to  stay  for  the  mus- 
quetoes  (a  sort  of  gnats  or  little  flies)  which  abound 
there,  and  are  very  troublesome.  Where  fore  we  went 
into  our  sloop  again,  put  off  from  the  shore,  cast  anchor, 
and  lay  in  our  sloop  that  night.  Next  day  we  wnt  into 
the  Sound,  but  finding  our  sloop  was  not  able  to  live 
in  that  water,  we  returned  again,  and  came  to  anchor 
before  Fishers  Island,  where  we  lay  in  our  sloop  that 
night  also.  There  fell  abundance  of  rain,  and  our  sloop 
being  open,  we  were  exceeding  wet.  Next  day  we  passed 
over  the  waters  called  the  Two  Horse  Races,  and  then 


FITZ-JOHN  WINTHROP 


COLONIAL  DAYS  27 

Garner's-island,  after  which  we  passed  by  Gull's  island, 
and  got  at  length  to  Shelter-island  which  tho  it  was  but 
about  twenty  seven  leagues  from  Rhode-island  through 
the  difficulty  of  passage,  we  were  three  days  in  getting 
thither. 

"We  staid  not  long  in  Shelter-island,  but  entering  our 
sloop  again,  put  to  see  for  Long-island.  We  had  a  very 
rough  passage;  the  tide  run  so  strong  for  several  hours, 
that  I  have  not  seen  the  like;  and  being  against  us,  we 
could  hardly  get  forward  though  we  had  a  gale.  We 
were  upon  the  water  all  that  day  and  the  night  follow- 
ing, but  found  ourselves  next  day  driven  back  near 
Fisher's  island.  For  there  was  a  great  fog,  and  towards 
day  it  was  very  dark,  so  that  we  could  not  see  what 
way  we  made.  Besides  it  rained  much  in  the  night,  which 
in  our  open  sloop  made  us  very  wet.  Next  day  a  great 
storm  arose,  so  that  we  were  fain  to  over  the  Sound, 
and  did  get  over  with  much  ado.  We  passed  by  Faulcon- 
island,  and  came  over  to  the  Main,  where  we  cast  anchor 
till  the  storm  was  over." 

In  this  letter  we  find  the  first  mention  of  the  "Race," 
as  the  name  for  the  rip  between  Fishers  Island  and 
Little  Gull  Island,  though  the  name  as  given  by  Fox  was 
somewhat  more  fanciful  than  that  by  which  we  know  it 
at  the  present  time. 

The  year  after  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  died,  the  follow- 
ing letter  was  written  in  an  endeavor  to  help  out  the 
heirs.  It  shows  that  Winthrop  had  been  willing  to  do 
anything  in  his  power  to  help  the  new  Colony  in  its  days 
of  uncertainty  and  distress. 


28 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


"Weathersfield. 
"ApL  7th,  1677. 

"Governor  Leet: — Honorable  Sr, 

"Haveing  a  word  or  two  in  commemoration  of  Or  late 
honorable  Govr  Winthrop  (wch  intended  sooner)  am 
so  bould  to  present  the  same  to  yor  selfe  who  are  his 
successor;  and  the  rather  because  I  would  intreat  of 
yor  Honor  and  yor  associates  to  take  into  yor  worthy 
and  serious  consideration  the  affayers  of  the  heires  of 
the  aforesd  Govr  Winthrop,  referring  to  Fisher's 
Island,  wch  was  incumbered  for  the  sake  of  this  colony. 
And  haveing  last  fall  had  some  speech  with  Capt  Waite 
Winthrop,  who  understands  that  Mr  Harwood  intends 
this  way  ere  long  from  England,  it  will  be  much  hoped 
as  the  Honnord  Generall  Court  hath  begun  a  good  work 
for  ye  clearing  ye  sd  Island,  soe  they  would  see  it 
compleated;  for  had  it  not  been  for  the  late  Governors 
going  on  that  accot,  his  estate  had  never  been  intangled, 
&  great  pitty  it  will  be  his  relicts  should  suffer  for  his 
good  intentions  for  ye  publick.  I  presume  that  both 
yor  honored  selfe  &  confederates  have  such  a  respect  for 
ye  memorie  of  ye  sd  governor,  that  you  will  voutsafe 
to  beare  in  minde  the  premises,  &  intreating  excuse  for 
my  couldness  remaynes, 

"Yor  Honors  to  be  commanded, 

"S.  C."  [Stephen  Chester] 

In  1673  the  Dutch,  having  recaptured  Manhattan, 
made  an  expedition  down  the  Sound  and  stopped  at  the 
eastern  end  of  Long  Island.  Connecticut  decided  to  op- 
pose them  and  ordered  the  troops  to  be  raised  at  New 


COLONIAL  DAYS 


29 


London  and  Stonington.  Captain  Fitz-John  Winthrop 
was  put  in  command  and  ordered  to  bring  the  Dutch  to 
terms.  Embarking  his  men,  he  proceeded  across  the 
Sound  to  Southold,  where,  after  a  bloodless  encounter, 
the  Colonial  troops  were  left  in  possession  and  the 
Dutch  retired  to  Manhattan. 

A  few  years  after  this  the  question  arose  as  to  which 
colony  Fishers  Island  belonged.  Connecticut  at  last  de- 
cided to  take  steps  in  the  matter,  which  caused  Winthrop 
to  write  the  following  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Con- 
necticut. 

"N.  L.  March  10  1679-80. 

"Honble  Sr. 

"It  was  a  few  days  since  that  I  read  a  warrant  from 
yor  honr  &  councill,  wch  came  hither  under  covert  from 
your  secretary  to  seize  and  secure  seuerall  goods  on 
Fishers  Island;  and  all  though  I  was  much  surprised  at 
ye  sudain  exercise  of  authorety  on  yt  place,  wch  hath 
hitherto  been  unregarded,  &  without  your  comon  notice 
&  pretensions  yet  I  was  greatly  satisfyed  to  know  by 
that  possitive  warrant  that  at  last  ye  intrest  of  that 
place  is  desired  by  yor  selves  to  be  secured  under  ye 
influence  of  yor  good  government,  to  wch  yor  honr  knows 
how  much  content  I  should  take  to  trim  my  vine  kindly 
secured  under  yor  authority;  but  not  to  flatter  myself 
too  much  with  so  great  a  hapines,  I  desire  leave  to 
mention  my  feeres,  and  that  difficulty  wch  may  cross 
my  peaceable  enjoyments  under  yor  shadow  .  .  . 

"Yor  honrs  most  faythfull  humble  servt 

"J.  W." 


3o  FISHERS  ISLAND 

From  the  following  letters  it  is  evident  that  Governor 
Andros  of  New  York  determined  to  claim  for  his  colony 
the  ownership  of  Fishers  Island,  and  although  Connecti- 
cut ordered  the  people  residing  on  the  Island  not  to  obey 
the  orders  of  New  York,  the  Island  really  came  under 
the  latter  colony  from  that  time. 

"Fishers  Island,  Apl.  5,  1680. 
"Deare  Brother  [Wait], — I  can  but  just  wright  yiu 
a  short  scrawle,  &  tell  yt  with  ye  bearer  I  am  returned 
from  New  York  after  a  weekes  stay  there,  &  can  onely 
tell  you  yt  I  have  spoke  to  Sr  Edmond  about  ye  patent 
given  by  Collonell  Nicolls,  who  seems  resolved  to  assert 
it  accordingly;  I  intend  to  be  wholy  passive  in  ye  matter 
till  I  see  how  our  Gentm  act  therein;  I  beleive  they  will 
doe  what  they  can  now  they  are  alarmed,  &  doe  expect 
to  heare  from  them  shortly.  Sr  Edmd  has  given  me  a 
confirmation  of  ye  Indian  guift  of  land  on  Long  Island, 
&  tells  me  he  is  ready  to  doe  any  thing  else  within  his 
power.  I  cannot  tell  you  any  other  matters  at  prsent; 
You  see  my  fingers  are  cold,  so  yt  I  can  onely  add  my 
deare  affections  to  yor  self  &  my  sister  &  sisters,  & 
yt  I  am 

"Yor  affectionate  brother 

"J.  W." 

This  letter  and  another  dated  June  12,  1680,  both 
from  Fishers  Island,  show  that  Fitz-John  went  con- 
stantly there  to  look  over  the  estate  that  he  and  his 
brother  owned  jointly,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  he  ever 
made  it  his  home,  for  in  this  letter  he  calls  the  Island 
"a  wilderness  place." 


COLONIAL  DAYS 


3i 


"For  the  Honble  Major  John  Winthrop,  att  his  house 
att  Fisher's  Island. 

"N.  York,  ye  16th,  of  Aprill,  1680. 

"Sr. 

"This  is  by  Capt  Hall  (commander  of  the  sloop  Mary, 
in  the  King's  service.)  My  reiterated  acknowledgemts 
&  thancks  for  your  obliging  &  kind  visitt  in  this  place. 
I  have  now  sent  about  ye  wrack  or  good  drove  ashore, 
out  of  ye  barck  Providence,  &  to  demand  &  receive  a 
lambe  for  ye  tenure  of  yor  island,  &  assure  you  that  as 
I  doe  my  duty  to  his  Majty  &  Rl  Highness,  I  shall  have 
continued  regard  to  yor  particular  concernes.  Mr  Arnold 
having  lett  me  know  he  hath  by  his  sloop  signified  to  you 
his  readiness  to  convey  my  letters,  or  what  else,  to  me, 
(as  order'd) ,  I  hope  to  heare  from  you  upon  all  ocations, 
&  shall  not  be  wanting  to  serve  you  without  delay  ac- 
cordingly. I  have  receav'd  an  answer  from  Governor 
Leet  from  Hartford,  by  which  he  seems  to  argue  for  a 
pretended  right  to  Fisher's  Island  (by  consequences) 
nott  particularly  parted  with;  but  nothing  materiall  for 
their  said  pretence, — rather  ye  contrary  in  every  respect, 
&  if  insisted  on  by  them  must  tend  to  their  further  det- 
riment. So  thinck  they  will  not  persist  therein;  how- 
ever, shall  not  be  wanting  in  asserting  itt  &  yor  interest 
as  I  ought  &  remaine. 

"Your  most  afectionate  freind  &  humble  servant, 

"E.  Andros.  G." 

The  letter  which  Sir  Edmond  Andros  wrote  to  Gov- 
ernor Leete  of  Connecticut  was  as  follows: 


32  FISHERS  ISLAND 

"Honble  Sr. 

uBeing  advised  of  an  Order  or  warrant  from  your- 
self and  some  of  Assistants  sent  to  Ffisher's  Island,  I 
am  much  surprised  at  yor  intrenching  upon  his  Maties 
Letters  Patents  to  his  Royall  Highnesse,  as  well  as  the 
Graunt  by  Governor  Nicolls  to  the  Honble  John  Win- 
throp  Esqr  (late  Governor  of  Conecticutt) ,  for  said 
Island:  Which  Island  and  graunt,  it  is  my  Duty  to 
Assert,  as  much  as  this  or  any  other  part  of  the  Gov- 
ermt;  and  there  for  desire,  that  you  will  without  delay 
recall  sd  Warrant  or  order,  and  forbeare  any  the  like 
proceedings  for  the  furture,  to  prevent  greater  Incon- 
veniences :  and  remaine, 

"Yor  Eflfectionate  Neighbour  &  humble  Servant, 

UE.  Andross. 

"New  Yorke,  29th  March  1680." 

This  letter  the  Governor  turned  over  to  the  General 
Court  and  its  reply  on  May  13th,  1680,  follows: 

"Whereas  this  court  is  informed  that  Sir  Edmund 
Andros  hath  asserted  that  a  certain  island  called 
Fishers  Island,  belonging  to  heirs  of  John  Winthrop, 
deceased,  is  part  of  his  Royal  Highness's  territories, 
which  by  charter  from  his  Majesty,  Charles  II,  King  of 
England,  is  indeed  granted  into  this,  his  Majesty's 
colony  of  Connecticut,  and  under  the  Government 
(thereof).  This  Colony,  for  preserving  the  just  limits 
of  his  Majesty's  gracious  grant  to  them,  do  hereby  pub- 
licly assert  that  said  island  is  a  part  and  under  the 
Government  thereof,  and  that  they  have  exercised  and 
shall  exercise  Government  there  as  occasion  shall  re- 


COLONIAL  DAYS 


33 


quire,  and  do  hereby  declare  and  protest  against  the 
said  Sir  Edmund  Andros  and  all  other  persons  their 
claims  or  exercise  of  authority  or  Government  on  or 
over  said  island,  that  all  such  acts  are  unjust  as  have 
or  may  be  exerted  by  an  authority  or  Government  on 
or  may  be  exerted  by  any  authority  from  the  say'd  Sr 
Edmund  Andross  or  any  other  than  what  hath  been 
or  shall  be  derived  from  the  power  given  by  his  Majesty 
unto  this  his  Colony,  are  and  shall  be  voyd  as  to  bind 
any  person  or  persons  to  any  obedience  there  unto;  and 
we  doe  hereby  prohibit  all  and  every  person  and  persons 
that  are  or  may  be  on  the  sayd  Island  from  yielding 
obedience  to  any  authority  what  soever  save  the  author- 
ity of  his  Majesty  vested  in  the  Colony  of  Connecticut." 

The  following  is  a  letter  from  Daniel  Wetherell  to 
the  Governor  and  Council  at  Hartford,  begging  advice 
as  to  how  to  deal  with  the  privateers  that  were  then 
menacing  the  neighborhood. 

"New  London,  July  25 —  1682. 

"Hon'd  Sir;— 

"Thse  may  informe  yor  Honr  that  lately  arrived  at 
East  hampton  on  Longe  Hand  a  Catch  and  two  small 
Sloopes  with  about  30  or  40  privateers  or  rather  pirates; 
one  of  the  sloopes  laye  some  time  at  Plumbe  Hand  where 
5  of  her  men  left  her  and  came  hither,  the  rest  went 
for  the  Baye  Colonie,  .  .  .  The  next  day  after  they 
were  gone  I  received  the  enclosed,  which  gives  account 
of  the  surprizall  of  the  third  small  Sloope  by  the  Gov- 
enor  of  Rhoade  Island;  Since  which  here  arrived  Mr 
Jonas  Clarke  bound  to  Southold  to  put  Mr  Arnold  ashoar 


34  FISHERS  ISLAND 

there,  and  from  thence  to  Connetticutt,  who  was  chassed 
by  that  privateer  yt  went  out  of  this  Harbour  and  lyes 
still  about  Fisher's  Hand;  and  Garners  Island;  but  they 
were  too  nimble  for  ye  privateers,  and  came  into  this 
harbour,  where  they  desired  some  men  and  armes  to 
secure  them,  having  as  they  sd  a  very  considerable  Cargoe 
on  boarde.  I  durst  not  without  yor  Honrs  authority 
impress  any  men,  but  we  sent  them  armes  and  ammuni- 
tion; and  the  winde  bloweing  favorable,  they  set  sayle 
yesterday  morning,  and  I  hope  got  safe  over,  although 
several  persons  informed  me  they  saw  the  privateers 
pursue  them,  but  their  wings  were  too  short;  so  they 
tacked,  and  I  sawe  them,  as  I  conceave,  goe  in  for 
Fisher's  Hand. 

"Sir,  my  humble  desire  is  that  yor  Honr  with  yor 
honrs  Councell  would  please  to  informe  what  to  do  in 
these  exigencys,  for  they  are  yet  wayting  for  to  take  all 
they  can  master,  being  well  armed  and  fitted  with 
Grandos  for  ye  worke.  I  earnestly  begg  yor  Honrs  ad- 
vice in  this  weighty  concerne,  wherein  men's  lives  and 
estates  are  dayely  in  hazard,  and  shall  wayte  for  an 
answer  from  yor  Honr  &  Council,  meanwhile  shall  rest 
yor  Honrs  humble  servantt  to  be  commended. 

"Daniel  Wetherell." 

The  Winthrops  had  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  in  getting 
the  necessary  work  done  on  the  Island  and  were  forced 
to  use  Indians  to  do  a  good  part  of  it.  Wait  writes  to 
Fitz-John,  from  Boston,  on  Nov.  30,  1684,  as  follows: 

"I  forgot  in  my  former  letters  (tho  I  have  severall 
times  thought  of  it)  to  desire  you  to  let  the  Indians  finde 


WAIT-STILL  WINTHROP 


COLONIAL  DAYS  35 

some  way  to  thrash  the  best  of  the  hay  that  is  clover 
at  the  island  to  save  the  seede.  ...  It  would  be  easy 
for  the  squase,  boyes,  and  girls,  to  procure  a  good  quan- 
tity of  it  and  cleans  it  well  which  would  be  best;  for  the 
clean  seed  is  worth  halfe  a  crown  or  thre  shilling  the 
pound,  .  .  ." 

Another  letter  written  by  him  on  Christmas  day,  1688, 
says : 

"I  have  spoke  to  Mr  Simmons  about  laying  the  bricks 
at  the  island,  but  cannot  prevaile  with  him,  or  rather  he 
with  his  wife,  to  let  him  goe  into  the  country,  for  feare 
of  the  Indians. " 

This  fear  was  still  in  the  minds  of  the  settlers,  but 
on  the  Island  Winthrop  had  some  white  men  living,  as 
we  learn  in  May,  1688.    Wait  writes: 

"I  hope  the  Lancashire  horn  pipe  sounds  briskly  from 
the  island  and  the  sheep  at  Rode  Island  will  shortly 
dance  after  it." 

Fitz-John  and  Wait-Still  Winthrop  were  both  so  ac- 
tive in  the  affairs  of  the  Colonies  that  they  could  not 
spare  time  enough  properly  to  superintend  their  Island 
affairs.  They  finally  procured  the  services  of  William 
Walworth  in  1689,  who  at  that  time  was  living  in  Eng- 
land, not  far  distant  from  London. 

"He  came  at  the  special  instance  of  Fitz-John  Win- 
throp, then  Major-General  commanding  the  forces  of 
the  Colony,  and  afterwards  its  Governor.  It  was  Win- 
throp's  desire  to  introduce  upon  Fisher's  Island  the  Eng- 
lish system  of  cultivation,  with  which  William  was 
known  to  be  well  acquainted.  He  was  the  first  lessee 
and  settler  upon  that  island.    He  not  only  grappled  with 


36  FISHERS  ISLAND 

the  virgin  wilderness,  reducing  it,  or  a  part  of  it,  to 
smiling  farm  land,  but  made  it  the  birth  place  of  the 
greater  part  of  his  children. 

"By  a  confirmation  of  Winthrop's  title,  obtained  from 
Governor  Nichols  of  New  York,  the  island  was  declared 
to  be  subject  only  to  state  authority,  and  independent  of 
all  local  and  subordinate  jurisdiction.  This  made  Wil- 
liam, as  being  its  sole  citizen,  not  only  a  sort  of  Rob- 
inson Crusoe,  but  invested  him,  like  the  old  Earls  of 
Man,  with  a  practical  soverignty  upon  his  island.  He 
could  bid  defiance  to  all  sheriffs,  constables  and  police 
officers.  He  made  his  own  roads  and  mended  them. 
No  man,  unless  a  Winthrop,  had  a  right  to  hunt  there. 
No  dog  but  his  own  had  a  right  to  bark  there. 

"On  this  island  Walworth  resided  with  his  family  for 
about  nine  years,  in  comparative  safety.  Later  on  while 
William  was  in  occupation  of  Fisher's  Island,  a  series 
of  invasions  and  depredations  back  and  forth  between 
the  French  of  Canada  and  the  Colonists  of  New  Eng- 
land, took  place.  But  a  danger  awaited  the  family  on 
Fishers  Island  more  alarming  in  their  apprehension  than 
Indians  on  the  warpath,  or  French  privateers — a  danger 
which  caused  Walworth  to  move  with  his  family  from 
the  Island.  His  change  of  residence  to  Groton  is  con- 
nected with  the  memory  of  a  character  no  less  notable 
than  Captain  Kidd.  Kidd's  career  as  a  pirate  seems  not 
to  have  commenced  so  far  as  the  disturbance  of  our 
American  waters  is  concerned,  before  1698.  In  that 
year  he  returned  to  New  York  from  the  East  Indies 
loaded  with  booty.  A  part  of  this  treasure,  the  only 
part  that  has  ever  been  discovered,  he  buried  on  Gardi- 
ner's Island." 


COLONIAL  DAYS 


37 


In  1 69 1,  a  few  years  after  Walworth  assumed  con- 
trol of  the  Island,  Wait,  again  writing  to  Fitz-John, 
speaks  of  sending  some  coats : 

uThe  sleues  and  buttons  are  just  as  all  men  here  ware 
them;  there  was  just  enough  to  make  two  coates  and 
two  for  the  boyes,  it  being  of  the  Fishers  Island  wool.,, 

William  Walworth  died  in  1703,  but  up  to  his  death 
continued  to  manage  the  Island.  The  life  he  led  there 
must  have  been  full  of  excitement,  and  the  change  he 
and  his  wife  experienced  after  living  in  England  must 
have  been  rather  trying  at  times. 


Pre- Revolutionary  Days 


IN  1689,  four  large  French  privateers  and  some 
smaller  ones  sailed  to  Block  Island;  the  crews  landed 
and  plundered  the  inhabitants.  The  invaders  were 
a  rough  and  desperate  crew,  among  them  one  English- 
man named  Trimming,  who  acted  as  both  interpreter 
and  decoy.  So  elated  were  they  at  having  entirely 
stripped  the  Block  Islanders  of  all  their  most  valuable 
belongings,  that  they  determined  to  sail  to  New  London 
and  capture  it  in  the  same  manner.  On  entering  the 
Thames  River,  however,  they  were  met  with  an  out- 
burst of  shot,  and,  realizing  that  the  inhabitants  were 
prepared  for  them,  retreated. 

"As  the  fleet  was  passing  out  to  sea,  some  of  the 
Company  landed  on  Fisher's  Island,  upon  which  there 
was  then  but  a  single  house.  Trimming,  .  .  .  who  was 
one  of  the  party,  having  mentioned  his  intentions  to  stop 
there,  the  people  of  Stonington  got  wind  of  it,  when 
a  party  of  seventeen  men  determined  to  intercept  him. 
They  accordingly  set  off,  and  by  landing  upon  another 
part  of  the  Island,  approached  the  house  spoken  of  be- 
fore they  were  discovered  by  the  pirates,  who  had  al- 
ready arrived.  Trimming  now  came  out  in  an  appar- 
ently friendly  manner,  with  his  gun  concealed  behind  his 
back,  to  receive  them;  whereupon  the  Stonington  party 
demanded  whence  they  came.  Trimming  replied  that 
they  had  been  shipwrecked.     One  of  the  Englishmen 

38 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS 


from  Stonington  then  said,  'If  you  are  friends,  lay  down 
your  guns,  and  come  behind  us.'  Upon  this  Stephen 
Richardson  fearing  an  attack  of  the  pirates,  levelled  his 
gun  and  shot  Trimming  on  the  spot,  an  act  for  which 
he  was  much  blamed.  Thus  he  that  delighted  in  false 
hood  in  his  life  died  with  a  lie  in  his  mouth;  and  received, 
it  seems,  the  just  reward  of  his  perfidious,  villainous,  and 
multiplied  treacheries." 

Gurdon  Saltonstall,  a  great  friend  of  the  Winthrops, 
who  lived  in  New  London,  wrote  several  letters  to  the 
general  who  was  then  leading  the  Colonial  troops  in  a 
campaign  against  Canada,  giving  the  news  of  Fishers 
Island  and  the  neighborhood. 

"For  the  HonbIe  Majr  Generall  John  Winthrop,  att  Al- 
bany: to  be  left  at  Coll  Aliens  at  Hartford  &  sent 
by  the  first  Post. 

"N.  London.    July  17,  1690. 

"Honble  Sr — 

"After  my  best  service  to  your  Honour,  I  am  bold  to 
enform  you  y*  all  yours  are  well.  This  morning  about 
eight  of  ye  clock  wee  discovered  at  ye  West  end  of 
Fishers  Island,  standing  in  between  that  &  Long  Island 
4  vessels  a  ship,  a  catch  &  2  sloops.  They  made  the 
best  of  ye  way  in,  with  English  colours.  They  were  at- 
tended upon  by  a  company  of  about  1 50  men,  all  along 
ye  shore  as  yy  came  into  ye  harbour,  who  hailed  them  on 
Mamacock  whence  they  were  &  were  answered  'from 
Jamaica.'  They  sailed  up  &  anchord  ag*  Cap*  Dene's, 
made  several  waves  wth  yr  antient  for  a  boat  to  come  on 
board,  but  had  no  answer  from  us.  There  yy  lay  a  con- 
siderable while  with  yr  English  colours  flying;  at  last  yy 


4o  FISHERS  ISLAND 

put  out  yr  French  colours,  fired  a  great  shot,  &  at  once 
every  vessell  took  to  yr  oares  (ye  wind  being  ag*  them) 
and  stood  out.  There  were  severall  great  shots  fired 
after  them,  (and  many  by  ym)  in  all  to  ye  number  of  50, 
some  whereof  struck  yr  ships.  With  ye  aid  yl  came  in  for 
our  help  we  had  in  arms,  on  both  sides  of  ye  River,  neer 
400  men,  besides  Indians.  Our  men  followed  them  down 
as  low  as  ye  harbours  mouth,  with  shouts  and  shot,  and 
there  yy  now  ly  at  anchor.  Wee  have  a  rumor  that  Sr  Wm 
Phips  with  4  ships,  is  at  Road  Island,  and  there  upon 
wee  have  dispatched  a  post  for  that  place,  another  along 
ye  shore,  another  for  Hartford.  I  expect  an  attack 
to  morrow.  There  are  neer  350  men  on  ye  guard  this 
night:  Majr  Palmes  is  with  us  and  boyh  as  much  com- 
mand as  any  body,  and  yet  I  think  yr  is  nothing  wc  we 
want  more.  This  night  yr  came  over  from  Fishers  Island 
a  small  number  of  Indians,  who  gave  an  acct  of  a 
skirmish  y*  yy  had  with  a  small  number  of  the  French. 
They  have  brought  over  a  scalp  with  them  and  say  yy 
have  left  one  dead  there  whose  scalp  they  had  not  time 
to  take.  It  is  presumed  (upon  yr  report)  y*  your  house 
is  rifled  at  ye  Island;  w*  credit  may  be  given  to  it  I  know 
not.  The  reports  wee  have  are  very  uncertaine.  Doctr 
Williams  is  just  now  come  from  Martins  Vineyard,  who 
contradicts  y6  report  we  heard  formerly  &  tells  us  y* 
both  Martins  Vineyard  &  Nantucket  are  safe.  I  have 
not  had  time  in  this  hurry  to  speak  with  the  Islanders, 
but  shall  take  the  first  opportunity.  Mrs  B :  &  Mrs  Mary 
is  well,  who  presents  her  duty  to  you,  and  service  is  given 
from  all  hands,  espec:  from  my  wife,  who  thanks  your 
Honr  kindly  for  mee.  Wee  long'd  heartily  for  your 
Honr  here  today.    My  wife  seems  to  bee  enclined  to 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  41 


goe  up  to  Hartford  with  Mrs  Mary.  If  she  doth,  I  shall 
be  ye  readier  for  your  Honrs  service  at  Albany,  where 
if  you  doe  not  intend  a  speedy  return,  I  shall  waite  you 
&  approve  my  self 

"Your  unfeigned  Sl 

"G.  Saltonstall." 

Gurdon  Saltonstall  to  Fitz-John  Winthrop: 

"N.  Lond.  July  24,  1690 

"Honble  Sr,— 

"I  doubt  not  but  your  Honr  both  reed  a  lettr  of  mine 
bearing  date  the  17th  instant,  that  being  the  day  wherein 
ye  enemy  made  an  attack  upon  this  place.  I  sent  your 
Honr  therein  as  good  an  acct  of  all  the  remarkable  pas- 
sages worthy  of  notice  in  it,  as  ye  haste  of  the  post,  then 
mounted  for  Hartford,  would  permit  mee.  I  had  thought 
to  have  given  you  a  new  and  more  compleat  acct,  but 
when  I  consider  in  what  a  hurry  &  distracting  way  almost 
every  thing  here  is  acted,  I  can  have  but  little  hopes  to 
mend  the  former  relation,  if  I  should  attempt  it.  As 
for  the  erratas  yt  have  escaped  my  pen,  whether  in  point 
of  orthography  or  of  stylr,  you  will  soon  perceive  from 
ye  apparent  causes  of  both  (viz :  an  affrighted  mind  &  a 
trembling  hand)  that  at  least  a  great  measure  of  the 
blame  may,  without  any  injustice,  be  transfered  from 
mee  to  those  whose  entrance  into  our  port  was  as  for- 
midable &  swaggering  as  theire  exit  was  sneaking  & 
shamefull.  As  far  as  I  remember  Sr  the  last  acct  I  gave 
you  of  them  was  yt  wn  yy  rowd  out  of  our  River,  which 
was  ye  17th  instant,  they  came  to  an  anchor  at  the  mouth 
of  it,  &  lay  all  night  within  call  of  our  soldiers  yt  were 


42  FISHERS  ISLAND 

posted  on  each  side  of  ye  River,  neer  or  upon  ye  chops 
of  ye  harbour.  The  next  morning,  at  ye  break  of  ye 
day,  they  weighed  anchor  and  stood  over  for  your  Island; 
3  of  them  came  to  anchor  there  between  ye  hamocks  & 
ye  harbour;  the  other,  which  was  ye  biggest  sloop,  (as 
we  guest  her,  about  50  tunn)  stood  up  ye  Sound,  took  a 
small  sloop  to  ye  westward  of  Fishers  Island,  then  re- 
turned to  &  anchored  with  the  rest.  Here  they  lay  the 
remainder  of  this  day,  and  left  not  the  place  wholly 
(tho  some  say  2  of  them  cruised  up  ye  Sound  on  Satur- 
day) untill  Munday  in  ye  morning,  at  which  time,  ye 
wind  at  North  West,  they  weighd  and  weathered  ye 
west  end  of  your  Island,  &  so  stood  along  between  that 
&  Long  Island.  Since  which  time  I  have  had  no  intelli- 
gence of  them  yt  may  with  any  safety  be  depended  upon. 
Rumors  say  yt  some  vessels  yt  came  from  Boston  on 
purpose  to  find  them,  joyning  with  others  of  Road  Island, 
did  engage  them  that  day  in  ye  evening  yt  yy  left  your 
Island  (off  Block  Island)  and  wee  are  impatient  till  wee 
are  satisfied  of  ye  truth  &  event  of  it,  wc  wee  waite  for 
&  expect  every  minute.  Mr  Brinley  from  Road  Island 
gives  an  acct  that  2  ships,  a  katch  &  a  sloop,  sailed  out 
of  Boston  after  them  on  ye  Wednesday  before  yy  left 
Fishers  Island,  and  yt  ye  winds  have  been  so  favourable 
yt  wee  conclude  yy  cannot  easyly  miss  of  them.  The 
day  before  yesterday  a  Jamaica  sloop,  wth  4  guns  & 
between  30  &  40  men  came  in  hither  from  York,  in 
pursuit  of  ye  enemy,  &  sailed  ye  next  morning  early.  It 
is  sd  yt  be  bad  on  acct  by  4  men  yt  went  on  board  him 
in  our  harbour  ye  same  morning  he  sailed,  yt  as  soon 
as  ever  ye  enemy  discovered  the  Boston  &  Road  Island 
Vessells,  yy  sent  ye  katch,  wc  was  a  prize  yy  had  made, 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS 


(&  retaken  from  some  of  Capt  Massons  men,  who  were 
pressed  from  Port  Royall  bound  to  N  York  and  ordered 
to  ye  Lt  Governour  there  was  another  Catch  taken  in 
company  with  her,  very  richly  loaden  likewise  and  or- 
dered ye  same  way,  sunk  by  them,  on  Block-Island  shore) 
with  ye  sloop  yy  took  in  ye  Sound,  to  ye  Westward;  so 
yt  be  expected  to  meet  with  one  or  both  of  them  off  of 
Fishers  Island.  As  for  a  particular  acct  of  your  affairs 
upon  ye  Island,  I  spare  it  in  this  place,  bee;  here  comes 
enclosed  one  from  Mr  Smethurst  of  my  penning,  wc 
speaks  as  much  of  ye  loss  you  have  sustained  there  as 
we  know.  When  I  got  home  I  found  all  your  Islanders 
but  Jonathan  in  a  very  great  fright  hurrying  to  Boston 
ye  very  next  morning,  &  so  could  by  no  means  come  to 
speech  with  them.  You  will  perceive  by  his  letter  wt 
his  inclinations  are;  I  have  used  all  the  arguments  I  can 
think  of  with  him,  but  cannot  alter  them.  Your  Honrs 
presence  here  would  doe  much,  or  (if  that  is  not  likely 
to  be  attained)  your  directions  unto  him.  When  I  was 
last  down  wth  Mrs  Betty  (who  is  very  well,  wth  Mrs 
Mary,  &  does  yr  respects  &  duty  in  order  unto  your 
Honr)  we  were  discoursing  about  severall  things  yt  we 
wanted  to  know  your  Hons  mind  concerning.  He  name 
them,  and  shall  be  ready  myself  to  be  as  serviceable  as 
I  can  in  attending  any  directions  you  send;  Whether  you 
would  have  any  of  ye  creatures  removed  from  ye  Island? 
If  they  must  stay  there,  how  yy  should  be  provided  for 
in  ye  winter?  I  have  urged  Jonathan  to  mow  &  make 
wt  hay  will  be  needfull  for  their  keeping,  and  he  tels  mee 
he  will  doe  whatever  he  is  able;  his  Negroe  is  still  with 
him  &  he  expects  Peter  up  again  dayly.  Yesterday  I 
spoke  with  Mr  Ashby  concerning  business  at  yr  farme; 


44  FISHERS  ISLAND 

I  find  ye  barley  was  then  mowing;  but  the  grass  had  not 
been  touched  wth  a  sithe;  he  bids  mee  tell  you  yt  ye 
enemy  hath  hitherto  given  your  labourers  a  little  diver- 
sion, but  yt  now  yy  will  fall  too  in  good  earnest;  and  ye 
truth  is  he  seems  to  be  resolved  to  doe  wt  he  can  to  make 
them  stand  stoutly  to  yr  work.  — but  yet  I  think  we 
may  rationally  expect  to  be  frequently  alarmed  here  this 
summer,  and  therefore  cannot,  without  being  guilty  of 
greatest  impudence,  neglect  to  put  ourselves  into  a  better 
posture  of  defense  yn  wee  are  likely  speedily  to  be  in. 
Something  for  that  end  is  resolved  upon;  As  yt  yr  be  a 
battery  raised  by  Capt  Deviss,  wc  is  already  begun  and 
some  platforms  for  great  guns  made;  that  three  of  ye 
guns  at  Say-brook  be  brought  hither;  that  yr  be  watches 
&  wards  kept  along  upon  ye  shore;  but  how  far  these 
things  will  be  attended  and  prosecuted  I  know  not. 

"There  hath  been  a  proposall  made  (as  I  take  it,  by 
Maj  Palmes)  concerning  a  beacon  to  be  placed  on  Mount 
Prospect  on  your  Island,  and  yt  a  watch  &  ward  be 
kept  there,  which  I  would  desire  your  judgement  of  if 
you  think  meet.  .  .  . 

"Your  Honrs  most  humble  Servt 

"G.  Saltonstall." 

"To  the  Honble  Majr  Genii  John  Winthrop,  at  Albany. 

"N.  London,  Aug  ist,  1690. 

"Hond  Sr  — 

"Last  night  I  was  at  Majr  Palmes,  when  he  desired 
mee  to  take  care  of  the  letter  enclosed;  some  formalities 
about  a  receipt  for  the  delivery  of  it  were  attended  with- 
out wc  you  would  hardly  had  ye  sight  of  it  at  Albany. 
Since  my  last  I  know  nothing  very  considerable  that  hath 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  45 


hapned  here.  This  week  we  have  been  alarm'd  by  ves- 
sels on  ye  coast,  wc  proved  Yorkers,  sent  in  pursuit  of 
the  enemy.  They  landed  with  a  Perianger  on  Fishers 
Island,  which  hath  scared  Jonathan  &  Peter  off;  Jona- 
than, as  Mrs  Betty  tels  mee,  offers  his  share  of  graine 
to  any  body  that  will  secure  ye  rest,  but  will  not  venture 
himself  upon  ye  Island  without  a  guard.  I  have  not  as 
yet  spoke  with  him,  but  shall  take  ye  first  opportunity 
to  rectifie  him  in  that  matter.  Last  night  arrived  here 
the  gentleman  with  his  family  who  is  to  live  at  your 
farme.  The  carpenter's  negligence  I  fear  will  be  some 
disapointment  to  him,  they  having  not  as  yet  made  the 
house  ready  to  receive  him.  Your  Honr  will  from  hence 
conclude  how  welcome  your  presence  would  be  here,  but 
if  that  cannot  be  obtained,  you  shall  find  that  wherein 
I  am  able  &  your  Honr  please  to  command,  I  am 

uyour  most  faithfull  St 

"G.  Saltonstall. 

"Your  Honrs  family  are  well." 

uFor  the  Honble  John  Winthrop  Esq.  Commander  in 
Cheife  of  the  Forcese  bound  for  Canada,  at  Albany 
or  els  where,  these. 

"Boston  August  ii.  1690  Monday  afternoon. 
"Deare  Brother, 

.  .  We  have  had  a  pirate  on  the  coste,  who  has 
plundered  the  people  at  Block  Island;  from  thence  went 
to  New  London  and  concluded  to  have  plundered  the 
town,  but  they  haveing  notice  were  provided  for  him  and 
he  went  away  to  Fishers  Island,  where  he  sent  a  perianger 
ashore  before,  and  had  one  man  kild  and  an  other 
wounded  by  some  Stonington  men  and  Indians  who  went 


46  FISHERS  ISLAND 

over  to  look  after  our  people  and  get  them  off;  The 
pirates  lay  in  the  harbour  at  ye  island  two  or  3  days 
and  burnt  the  house;  and  what  mischeife  else  I  know  not 
certaynly  yet,  but  tis  said  a  great  deale.  The  men  and 
wemen,  when  they  saw  the  house  afire  from  Stonington, 
came  down  hither  all  but  Jonathan.  But  I  have  got  the 
men  to  goe  back  againe  and  promised  that  shall  have 
a  house  before  winter  if  it  may  be;  in  the  mean  time 
have  sent  to  the  Indians  at  the  farme  to  help  them  about 
a  wigwam  while  they  secure  the  corn  and  hay.  Our  men 
of  warr  could  not  cum  up  with  the  pirate;  but  two  Rode 
Island  sloops  had  a  bout  with  them  and  kild  them  many 
men.  They  were  about  100  men  in  all  at  first,  and  are 
now  gone  off  the  coast. 

".  .  .  I  have  not  els  but  to  comend  you  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  who  I  trust  will  preserve 
and  return  you  with  success  in  his  cause,  and  am 

"Your  owne 
"Wait  Winthrop." 

"In  the  year  1690,  New  York  and  the  New  England 
Colonies  united  in  sending  an  expedition  against  Canada, 
from  which  province  the  French  and  Indians  had  issued 
and  destroyed  Schenectady,  Feb.  8th,  1690.  The  com- 
mand of  the  land  forces  was  given  to  Fitz-John  Win- 
throp, who  had  the  rank  of  Major-General  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief. Sir  William  Phipps  commanded  the 
fleet.  Winthrop  marched  with  his  forces  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  but  could  go  no  further.  The  Indian  auxiliaries 
failed;  provisions  were  scarce,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
retreat  to  Albany  for  subsistence.  The  fleet  was  no 
less  unfortunate;  it  sailed  too  late,  and  on  arriving  at 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  47 


Quebec,  found  the  place  too  strong  for  them.  After 
an  abortive  attempt  upon  the  town,  in  which  they  re- 
ceived more  injury  than  they  inflicted,  the  fleet  returned 
home  and  the  whole  enterprise  utterly  failed. 

"The  Government  of  New  York  was  greatly  exasper- 
ated at  General  Winthrop's  retreat,  attributing  the  fail- 
ure of  the  expedition  entirely  to  him.  If  he  had  pressed 
onward,  they  said,  to  Montreal  and  kept  the  French 
troops  occupied  in  that  quarter,  Quebec,  left  defenseless, 
would  have  surrendered  at  the  first  summons.  So  great 
was  their  dissatisfaction,  that  on  Winthrop's  arrival  at 
Albany  they  procured  his  arrest,  and  he  was  only  saved 
from  a  disgraceful  trial  before  prejudiced  judges,  by 
the  bold  and  adventurous  friendship  of  the  Mohawks 
under  his  command.  They  crossed  the  river,  freed  their 
General  from  restraint,  and  gallantly  conducted  him  back 
to  the  camp. 

uThe  reputation  of  Winthrop  in  his  native  Colony  was 
not  diminished  by  the  disastrous  issue  of  the  enterprise. 
After  the  strictest  scrutiny  the  Legislature  approved  of 
his  conduct,  and  in  view  of  the  difficulties  that  he  en- 
countered, deemed  that  he  had  acted  the  part  of  a  wise 
and  discreet  commander.  But  in  New  York  he  was  re- 
garded with  bitter  animosity;  and  the  officers  belonging 
to  his  council,  who  had  concurred  in  his  measures,  were 
obliged  to  retire  with  him  to  Connecticut,  there  to  wait 
till  the  fury  of  the  storm  was  spent.  Among  these  ex- 
iles was  Captain  (afterward  Colonel)  John  Livingston, 
who  accompanied  Winthrop  to  Hartford  and  subse- 
quently to  New  London,  where  he  became  a  landholder 
and  an  inhabitant.  He  married  Mary,  the  only  child 
of  General  Winthrop,  and  continued  to  make  New  Lon- 


48  FISHERS  ISLAND 

don  his  home  until  Nov,  171 8,  when  he  went  to  England 
on  some  business,  and  there  died." 

Wait-Still  Winthrop,  who  was  a  good  deal  of  a  hunter, 
wrote  the  following  to  his  brother,  Fitz-John.  Whether 
or  not  these  animals  ever  reached  Fishers  Island  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  interesting  to  think  of  moose  being  in  the 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  colonies. 

"Boston  July  25th,  1698. 

"Here  was  a  man  from  North  Hampton  sayes  his 
brother  got  two  young  moose,  a  buck  and  a  doe,  but 
kild  the  buck  before  he  heard  I  desired  to  get  som,  but 
keeps  the  doe  and  does  not  question  to  get  a  buck  this 
season.  I  have  encouraged  him  with  the  hopes  of  a 
reasonable  price  for  them  if  he  procured  a  couple.  If 
they  should  not  do  at  Fishers  Island  as  well  as  cattle, 
they  may  at  Tarpolin." 

After  his  return  from  the  attack  on  Canada  Fitz- 
John  Winthrop  was  commissioned  by  the  Colony  to  go 
to  England  as  agent  and  endeavor  to  straighten  out  the 
dispute  as  to  who  was  in  command  of  the  militia  of  all 
the  Colonies.  The  instructions,  dated  Hartford,  Sept. 
1st,  1693,  were  as  follows: 

"Major  Gen'll  Ffitz  John  Winthrop  Esq  commissioned 
by  the  Governour  (Robt  Treat)  and  the  General  As- 
sembly to  petition  our  Sovraign  Lord  and  Lady,  King 
William,  and  Queen  Mary,  with  reference  to  the  charter 
and  more  especially  to  the  militia  of  this  Colony." 

He  went  to  the  British  Court  in  1694  and  accom- 
plished his  mission  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  decided  that 
the  Connecticut  Colony  was  to  have  full  charge  of  her 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS 


own  militia,  though  subject  to  a  general  call  in  time  of 
need.  This  so  pleased  the  Colony  that  Fitz-John  was 
elected  Governor,  and  this  position  he  held  throughout 
his  life,  being  each  year  re-elected. 

Fitz-John  Winthrop  "died  in  the  tenth  year  of  his 
office  and  was  interred  in  the  same  tomb  with  his  father 
and  grandfather,  in  the  church  yard  of  Kings  Chapel, 
Boston.  His  public  duties  since  the  year  1690  had  kept 
him  much  of  the  time  away  from  New  London,  yet  this 
always  continued  to  be  his  home.  His  death  on  Nov. 
27th,  1707,  was  an  important  event  to  the  town.  As  a 
member  of  the  Commonwealth  it  had  lost  its  head,  and 
as  a  community  it  was  bereaved  of  a  tried  friend  and  in- 
fluential citizen.  .  .  .  He  appeared  to  have  been  a  gen- 
tleman of  popularity,  and  to  have  sustained  a  character 
without  blemish." 

"It  led  the  way  also  to  another  removal — that  of  their 
minister.  On  the  death  of  the  Governor,  a  special  as- 
sembly was  convened  to  elect  a  temporary  successor,  and 
a  majority  of  the  votes  were  cast  for  the  Rev.  Gurdon 
Saltonstall,  of  New  London.  He  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment and  on  the  first  of  January,  1708,  took  the  oath  of 
office.  At  the  annual  election  in  May  he  was  chosen 
Governor  by  the  votes  of  the  freemen  and  was  annually 
re-elected  to  the  office  from  that  time  until  his  death." 

On  the  death  of  Fitz-John  Winthrop  the  complete 
ownership  of  the  Island  fell  to  Wait-Still.  He  continued 
to  reside  in  Boston,  where  he  became  a  Major  General 
of  the  militia.  Besides  being  what  Judge  Sewall  called 
him,  "the  great  stay  and  ornament  of  the  Council,  a  very 
pious,  prudent,  courageous  New  England  man,"  he  was 


So  FISHERS  ISLAND 

Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court,  once  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Admiralty,  a  Colonial  commissioner,  and  on 
the  executive  council  of  Massachusetts.  Like  his  father, 
he  had  a  good  knowledge  of  medicine,  of  which  he  freely 
gave  to  those  needing  help. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Governor  and  Council,  June  2, 
1712 : 

"Upon  the  consideration  of  the  hazard  of  the  coast 
and  coasters  by  reason  of  the  French  privateers,  and  for 
preventing  as  much  as  may  be  coasting  vessels  from 
falling  into  their  hands,  and  other  mischiefs  by  sur- 
prize ; 

"Ordered,  that  a  beacon  be  erected  on  Fishers  Island 
in  the  usual  place  on  the  western  point,  and  an  out  guard 
of  seven  men  maintained  there;  that  a  suitable  boat  be 
provided  to  pass  between  the  island  and  this  place,  as 
often  as  may  be  with  conveniency;  that  the  men  im- 
ployed  in  this  service  be  allowed  two  shillings  per  day 
and  their  subsistence." 

"Sept.  the  4th  1712. 

"Resolved  that  the  out  guard  appointed  and  main- 
tained from  June  the  second,  on  Fishers  Island,  be  from 
this  time  discharged. 

"That  ten  shillings  extraordinary  be  allowed  to  Na- 
thaniell  Beebee,  director  of  the  said  guard,  for  his  care 
therein. 

"That  20  s.  per  month  be  allowed  for  the  boat  im- 
proved by  the  said  guard. 

"That  4s.  6d.  per  week  be  allowed  to  each  of  the  said 
guard,  for  their  diet." 


WINTHROP  HOUSE  AT  EAST  END, 
ABOUT  187O 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  51 


In  17 1 2  the  attempt  was  made  to  send  a  pair  of  moose 
from  Fishers  Island  to  Queen  Anne  in  England,  but, 
owing  to  the  death  of  one  and  an  accident  to  the  other, 
the  queen  received  only  the  horns. 

In  a  letter  from  Gurdon  Saltonstall  to  Joseph  Dudley, 
he  tells  about  the  annoyances  received  by  Wait  Winthrop 
from  certain  tenants  on  Fishers  Island,  who  had  made 
the  absence  of  John  Livingston  (one  of  the  Executors) 
a  pretext  to  delay  delivery  of  lands  and  stock,  formerly 
the  joint  property  of  Fitz-John  and  Wait  Winthrop. 
One  part  of  the  letter  reads: 

"There  is  also  some  controversy  about  the  remaining 
rent,  &  damage  by  moose,  which  I  persuade  them  to  issue 
by  the  judghment  of  indifferent  men;  or  if  they  cant  do 
so,  to  let  ye  law  decide  it." 

John  writes  to  his  father,  Wait-Still,  as  follows  on 
Oct.  24,  1717: 

"I  have  some  red  cedar  berryes  wch  I  gathered  at 
Fishers  Island:  they  say  Mr  Brenton  sowed  some  at 
Rhode  Island,  and  has  a  young  grove  of  cedars  now  on 
his  farme.  Many  people  hereabouts  carry  them  in  their 
pockets  and  eat  them,  as  being  very  wholsom  &  strength- 
ning,  they  say,  to  the  vitalls,  and  good  for  all  sorts  of 
ails,  the  Indians  say." 

On  Oct.  28th,  17 17,  Wait-Still  wrote  his  last  letter 
to  his  son  John  in  reply  to  the  above.  Shortly  after- 
wards he  was  taken  ill  and  died  Nov.  7th,  17 17. 

The  early  part  of  the  year  17 17  was  noted  for  many 
heavy  snow  storms,  and  we  learn  how  the  Island  fared 
from  the  following  letter  from  John  Winthrop  to  Dr. 
Mather  in  Boston: 


52 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


"Sir:— 

"Being  from  home  the  last  past  day,  when  your  letter 
arrived  here,  I  am  now  to  thank  you  for  it,  and  to  make 
answer  to  what  you  demand  of  me.  The  observations 
I  made  of  the  prodigious  storms  of  snow,  in  the  doleful 
winter  past,  are  many.  But  I  shall  mention  but  two  at 
this  time,  and  they  are  these :  That  the  snow  spangles 
which  fell  on  the  earth,  appeared  in  large  sexangular 
forms.  .  .  .  The  other  is,  that,  among  the  small  flock  of 
sheep,  that  I  daily  fold  in  this  distant  part  of  the  wilder- 
ness, (for  I  am  a  poor  shepherd)  to  secure  them  from 
the  wild  rapacious  quadrupeds  of  the  forest;  after  the 
unusual  and  unheard  of  snows,  the  aforesaid  animals 
from  the  upland  parts  of  the  country,  where,  in  great 
numbers  forced  down  to  the  sea  side  among  us,  for  sub- 
stance, where  they  nestled  kenneled  and  burroughed  in 
the  thick  swamps  of  these  ample  pastures,  nightly  visit- 
ing the  pens  and  yards  for  their  necessity.  .  .  .  The 
storm  continued  so  long  and  severe,  that  multitudes  of 
all  sorts  of  creatures  perished  in  the  snow  drifts.  We 
lost  at  the  island  and  farms,  above  eleven  hundred  sheep, 
besides  some  cattle  and  horses  interred  in  the  snow.  And 
it  was  very  strange  that  twenty  eight  days  after  the 
storm,  the  tenants  of  Fishers  Island,  pulling  out  the  ruins 
of  one  hundred  sheep  out  of  one  snow  bank  in  a  valley, 
(where  the  snow  had  drifted  over  them  sixteen  feet) 
found  two  of  them  alive  in  the  drift,  which  had  lain  on 
them  all  that  time,  and  kept  themselves  alive  by  eating 
the  wool  off  the  others,  that  lay  dead  by  them.  As  soon 
as  they  were  taken  out  of  the  drift  they  shed  their  own 
fleeces  and  are  now  alive  and  fat;  and  I  saw  them  at  the 
island  the  last  week,  and  they  are  at  your  service. 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  53 

.  .  I  am  an  obscure  person,  less  than  the  poorest 
of  your  servants,  and  not  fit  to  stand  before  princes,  but 
am  contented  to  lie  hid  among  the  retired  philosophers. 

"I  am,  &c. 

"John  Winthrop. 
"To  the  Rev.  Doctor  Cotton  Mather." 

John  Winthrop,  the  son  of  Wait  Winthrop,  was  born 
in  New  London,  Aug.  26,  1681,  and  was  at  Harvard 
College  in  1700.  By  mutual  agreement  he  was  the  heir 
of  both  his  uncle,  Fitz-John,  and  his  father.  Fitz-John 
had  no  son,  only  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Livingston,  upon  whom 
he  had  settled  some  of  his  possessions  other  than  real 
estate.  Soon  after  coming  into  the  estate,  after  his 
father's  death,  John's  only  sister,  who  was  married  to  a 
man  named  Lechmere,  claimed  half  of  the  estate.  Fitz- 
John  had  made  a  deed  in  1700,  leaving  his  share  to  his 
nephew,  John,  but  as  this  had  never  been  recorded,  it 
was  not  allowed  as  proof.  A  lawsuit  ensued  and  went 
from  court  to  court  in  Connecticut,  being  at  last  decided 
in  favor  of  Lechmere.  Winthrop  then  appealed  to  the 
King  in  council,  and  in  1726  went  to  England  to  fight  his 
case.  He  was  so  successful  that  two  years  later  a  decree 
set  aside  the  findings  of  the  Colonial  Court  and  declared 
Winthrop  sole  heir  of  all  the  lands  that  had  belonged 
to  his  uncle  and  father.  This  decision  was  based  on 
the  English  law  of  primogeniture.  This  decree,  if  it 
had  been  followed  out,  would  have  been  very  hard  on 
the  colonists.  A  later  decision  gave  Winthrop  what  he 
had  been  striving  for,  but  let  the  Colonial  Law  of  in- 
heritance remain  as  it  had  been  before  this  case  came  up. 

Because  of  this  case  Winthrop  became  very  unpopular 


54  FISHERS  ISLAND 

in  Connecticut,  and  he  remained  in  England  for  twenty- 
one  years,  dying  when  about  sixty-six  years  of  age.  He 
was  of  a  scientific  turn  of  mind  and  became  a  Fellow 
of  the  Royal  Society.  We  find  him  usually  referred  to 
as  John  Winthrop,  F.R.S. 

While  Winthrop  was  in  England  his  wife,  Madam 
Winthrop,  and  their  family  resided  in  New  London. 
They  appointed  Joshua  Hempstead,  a  friend  and  confi- 
dential agent,  to  look  out  for  their  affairs,  both  on  the 
mainland  and  on  the  Island.  There  are  many  records  in 
his  diary  of  trips  to  the  Island,  which  he  usually  made 
to  look  about  and  count  the  live  stock.  We  find  one 
entry  on  November  16th,  1727. 

"Fair.  I  went  to  fishers  Island  in  their  boat.  Madm 
Winthrop  Mr  Wan  [ton]  Molly  &  Cate  Peg  Jus  E 
Bagill  Friday  17  fair.  We  Rid  about  ye  Island  to  ye 
East  end  &  found  things  in  good  order. 

"Saturday  18  a  little  Rain  &  yn  fair.  Wee  came  all 
home  by  day  light.  Mr  Wanton  killed  a  young  Buck  in 
the  forenoon  wch  wee  brot  over. 

"April  173 1.  Saturday  10  fair  and  cold.  I  went  to 
fishers  Island  with  Mr  Mumford  &  I  Reed  al  the  Stock 
&  gave  a  Rectt.  I  viewed  the  house  at  ye  East  End  & 
finished.    Cary  Latham  carryed  us  over." 

On  November  13th,  1738,  Hempstead  writes: 

"In  the  morn,  About  7  Oe  Clock  I  set  of  Designed 
for  Sag  harbour  in  Jno  Roger's  Boat  with  Joshua  & 
Daughter  Starr  John  Bolles  &  Jno  Waterhose  passengers 
&  had  the  wind  about  W.N.W.  &  the  Latter  end  of  the 
flood,  as  the  Sun  Rise  the  wind  Rise  &  blew  exceeding 
high,  wee  were  got  near  or  quite  half  over  &  the  Sea 
very  big  &  angry  we  found  the  wind  too  hard  for  us. 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  55 

wee  had  21  bis  of  Cydar  on  bord  &  were  forced  to  fling 
overboard  3  bis.  Vizt  1  Terse  of  2bls  &  1  bl  &  a  y2  bl 
of  Water  to  Lighten  her  &  Jno  Boles  proposed  it  prom- 
ised to  be  his  part  of  ye  Charge  &  Jno  Waterhouse  Said 
nothing  to  it.  wee  got  Safe  into  Fishers  Island  Hay 
harbour  about  9  clock  &  after  about  2  hours  Stay  went 
up  to  the  House  where  we  Stayed  al  night  &  Mr  Mum- 
ford  Entertained  us  very  Courteously  &  would  take  noth- 
ing of  me  or  mine,  and  Sent  his  son  to  help  us  get  of 
the  Boat  which  was  a  ground  on  the  flatts.  wee  got  no 
harm  in  our  persons  nor  Boat  though  wee  were  very  wet 
&  very  cold.  The  Tops  of  my  fingers  are  numb  near 
froze." 

This  is  the  first  mention  of  the  sand  bar  at  the  mouth 
of  Hay  Harbor.  Where  Hempstead  and  his  fellow 
voyagers  went  aground  many  other  boats  since  that  time 
have  found  the  channel  all  too  narrow  to  sail  through 
easily  and  anchor  in  the  sheltered  and  nearly  land-locked 
harbor. 

In  October,  1739,  Madam  Winthrop  invited  friends 
for  a  house  party  at  Fishers  Island.  With  her  were 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Saltonstall  and  two  of  their  children, 
Colonel  Brown  and  his  wife  and  child,  John  Winthrop 
and  his  sister  Ann.  They  sailed  across  the  Sound  with 
George  Mumford,  who  then  had  a  lease  of  Fishers 
Island,  and  all  stayed  with  him  in  his  house,  which  stood 
probably  on  the  site  of  the  present  Mansion  House. 
They  reached  there  about  dark,  as  the  wind  was  against 
their  making  a  quick  trip.  The  next  day  uwee  all  Rid 
Down  to  the  East  End  &  back  &  lodged  at  Mr  Mum- 
fords  again."  Friday  was  very  stormy  and  they  were 
kept  in  the  house  all  day  long.   It  is  too  bad  that  we  find 


5  6  FISHERS  ISLAND 

nothing  to  tell  us  of  how  the  long  day  was  spent,  but 
we  can  be  sure  that  while  it  was  stormy  outside,  it  was 
cheerful  inside,  and  with  logs  crackling  on  the  open 
hearths  and  so  many  in  the  party  to  keep  things  moving, 
the  hours  passed  quickly. 

The  next  day,  Saturday,  was  fair  and  windy.  The 
party  mounted  horses  and  rode  to  the  west  end  through 
the  meadows  and  woods.  In  the  afternoon  a  deer  hunt 
was  held  and  Mr.  Saltonstall  "kiled"  one  doe,  but  Mr. 
Mumford  was  either  more  fortunate  or  a  better  shot, 
for  he  downed  two  bucks.  Another  night  was  spent  on 
the  Island,  and  the  following  day  they  returned  to  New 
London,  after  a  very  tedious  day,  having  left  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  not  reaching  home  before 
eight  at  night. 

"One  of  the  seasons  noted  in  the  Annals  of  New  Eng- 
land for  intense  cold  was  the  winter  of  1740-41.  The 
extreme  severity  of  the  weather  at  New  London  com- 
menced with  a  violent  snow  storm  at  Christmas.  By  the 
seventh  of  January  the  river  was  frozen  over  between 
Groton  and  Winthrop's  Neck,  and  the  intense  cold  con- 
tinued without  interruption  from  that  time  to  the  middle 
of  March.  The  ice  extended  into  the  Sound  toward 
Long  Island  as  far  as  could  be  seen  from  the  town; 
Fishers  Island  was  united  to  the  mainland  by  a  solid  bed." 

One  morning,  in  1744,  Hempstead  went  to  Madam 
Winthrop's  house  and  found  the  Sheriff  of  Suffolk  County 
there.  He  had  come  for  the  taxes  on  Fishers  Island, 
which  had  not  been  paid  for  twenty-two  years. 

Madam  Winthrop's  husband,  who  had  resided  for  so 
many  years  in  England,  died  August  1st,  1747,  but  it 
was  over  a  year  before  his  son,  John  Still,  returned  to 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  57 


assume  the  management  of  the  Island  and  the  other 
properties  to  which  he  had  fallen  heir. 

"Nov  25-1748.  fryd  25  cloudy.  I  was  att  home  all 
day.  I  mended  one  of  Madm  Winthrops  wheels  &  in 
the  Evening  went  up  to  Madm  Winthrops  &  met  Mr 
John  Still  Winthrop  at  Colin  Saltonstalls  who  this  night 
arived  with  Ms  Hide  from  London  by  the  way  of  Nan- 
tucket first  &  Rhoad  Island  Next,  &  fishers  Island  Last. 
A  great  joy  to  his  mother  &  friends,  he  hath  been  Gone 
Seven  year  Next  feb." 

"August  1752. 

"Aftern  I  went  to  Mr  Winthrops  to  Dinner  &c. 

"Thursday  27  fair.  I  went  with  Mr  Winthrop  to 
fishers  Island  &  Jer  Miller  in  Powers  boat.  I  stayed 
there  three  nights,  wee  measured  the  length  of  the 
Island  almost.  Wee  began  att  the  west  point  &  Meas- 
ured Six  mile  towards  the  East  End  &  made  heaps  of 
Stones  att  the  End  of  Each  Mile  &  also  measured  the 
Distance  from  ye  house  to  ye  West  point  &  also  to  ye 
East  End.  Sunday  fair.  We  came  home  in  Mr  Mum- 
fords  boat  timely  to  go  to  meeting  in  ye  aftern.  Mr 
adams  pr  all  Day." 

The  old  survey  undoubtedly  made  Fishers  Island  much 
larger  than  it  actually  is.  One  account  of  the  Island 
says  it  has  five  thousand  acres.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
acreage  is  somewhat  under  three  thousand,  but  owing 
to  the  irregular  coast  line,  with  the  bays  and  points  run- 
ning out  into  the  water,  the  Island  has  the  appearance 
of  being  larger. 


Revolutionary  Days 


MR.  WINTHROP,  who  was  named  John  Still,  was 
the  owner  of  Fishers  Island  during  the  next 
twenty-nine  years,  and  during  this  period  got 
more  worry  than  pleasure  out  of  the  Island,  if  we  can 
believe  history.  The  war  on  the  French  in  Canada 
opened  up  the  chance  for  privateers  on  the  sea,  and  these 
caused  much  trouble  and  uncertainty  for  the  people  re- 
siding on  the  Island.  The  Revolutionary  War  soon  fol- 
lowed and  the  British  fleets  blockaded  the  Sound  and 
waged  war  on  every  ship  they  could  come  up  with. 

"On  the  5th  and  6th  of  August,  1775,  a  fleet  of  nine 
ships  and  several  smaller  vessels,  gathered  around  New 
London  Harbor  and  appeared  as  if  about  to  enter.  Ex- 
presses were  sent  forth  to  alarm  the  country  but  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  object  of  the  fleet  was  to  secure 
the  stock  that  was  owned  upon  the  fertile  islands  of  the 
Sound.  From  Fishers  Island  alone  they  took  1 100  sheep, 
besides  cattle  and  other  provisions;  for  which  they  made 
a  reasonable  compensation  to  Mr.  Brown,  the  lessee  of 
the  Island;  but  from  Gardiner's  and  Plum  Islands,  they 
took  what  they  wanted  without  payment." 

John  Still  Winthrop  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  the 
class  of  1737.  He  made  his  home  in  New  London  and 
remained  there  all  his  days,  dying  on  June  6th,  1776. 
His  eldest  son,  John  Winthrop,  was  born  July  20th, 

58 


REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS 


59 


175 1,  and  on  the  death  of  his  father  came  into  posses- 
sion of  Fishers  Island. 

The  Island  was  again  stocked  with  cattle  and  sheep, 
and  rather  than  have  them  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
British,  the  Governor  and  Council  of  Connecticut  met 
on  July  3rd,  1776,  and — 

"Resolved  and  ordered,  That  the  committees  of  in- 
spection for  New  London  and  Groton  do  forthwith  re- 
move the  horned  cattle,  sheep  and  swine  from  Fishers 
Island  to  the  main,  leaving  necessary  working  oxen, 
cows,  sheep  and  swine,  for  the  use  of  the  families  there 
at  their  discretion;  that  they  cause  them  to  be  apprized 
by  indifferent  judicious  men,  under  oath,  at  their  present 
just  value  in  money;  that  the  amount  of  such  apprizement 
be  paid  out  of  the  Colony  treasury  to  the  owner  or 
owners  of  said  stock  at  a  reasonable  price  in  behalf  of 
the  Colony,  rendering  their  account  of  such  sales  and 
how  they  shall  execute  this  order,  to  his  Honor  the  Gov- 
ernor, as  soon  as  may  be;  and  also  advising  Colo.  Cham- 
pion, deputy  commissary  when  they  remove  such  stock, 
that  he  may  purchase  such  part  of  the  same  as  may  be 
fit  and  proper  for  the  use  of  the  army. 

"Feb.  28.  1777.  Benja  Brown  moved  for  payment 
for  stock  taken  from  Fishers  Island,  July  1776.  It  was 
allowed.    Appraized  £570  3s. " 

From  Miss  Caulkins'  History  of  New  London  we 
find  that: 

"The  14th  of  March,  1777,  brought  another  breeze 
of  alarm  along  the  coast.  A  fleet  of  eleven  sail — the 
Amazon,  Greyhound,  Lark  and  seven  transports — an- 
chored near  the  Groton  shore.  An  immediate  descent 
was  expected,  and  tumult  and  terror  reigned  for  a  time 


6o 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


in  the  town.  The  object  of  the  squadron,  however,  was 
to  obtain,  as  they  had  the  year  before,  the  stock  of 
Fishers  Island,  and  this  business  they  executed  so  thor- 
oughly as  almost  to  sweep  the  island  clean  of  produce. 
They  took  not  only  sheep,  cattle,  swine,  poultry,  corn, 
potatoes,  wood  and  hay,  but  blankets,  woolen  cloth,  sheet- 
ing and  other  necessaries,  for  all  which  they  made  a 
reasonable  compensation  to  Mr.  Brown  in  British  gold." 

On  Nov.  1 8th,  1778,  again  the  governor  and  coun- 
cil of  Connecticut  "Voted,  that  Colo  Samuel  Mc  Clallan 
and  Majr  William  Ledyard  be  and  they  are  hereby 
directed  to  call  on  the  owners  of  the  hay  on  Fishers 
Island  to  move  it  off  said  island  immediately,  and  if  not 
done  by  them  to  have  it  moved  off  themselves  at  the 
owner's  expense." 

A  British  fleet  appeared  again  off  New  London,  on 
July  5th,  1779.  "No  attempt  was,  however,  made  by 
the  enemy  to  land,  except  upon  Plum  and  Fisher's  Islands, 
which  the  crews  of  the  British  ships  plundered  of  every- 
thing valuable  to  them,  and  then  wantonly  set  fire  to 
the  hay  and  buildings  which  they  could  not  remove. 

"During  the  eighteenth  century,  smuggling  was  exten- 
sively carried  on  along  the  Connecticut  coasts,  especially 
at  the  eastern  and  western  extremities  of  Long  Island 
Sound.  At  Fishers  Island  there  were  erected  small  ware- 
houses or  shacks  wherein  smugglers  stored  their  goods, 
and  ruins  of  which  still  stand.  Incoming  vessels  from 
foreign  ports  would  lie-to  or  anchor  off  the  spot,  send 
their  contraband  ashore,  and  with  a  cargoe  fully  entered 
on  their  manifests,  sail  to  New  London  or  other  ports. 
Later  the  contraband  would  be  smuggled  in  by  small  craft 
as  opportunity  offered."    So  serious  did  this  menace  be- 


REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  61 


come  that,  on  November  7th,  1781,  we  find  the  Con- 
necticut Governor  and  Council  ordering:  "That  Col. 
McClellan  be  authorized  and  directed  to  send  out  any 
boats  under  his  command  to  watch  and  guard  the  coasts 
near  and  go  on  Fishers  Island,  seize,  take  and  secure  any 
boats  carrying  on  illicit  trade  and  goods  found  on  sd 
island  for  illicit  purposes." 

John  Winthrop  had  been  in  poor  health  for  some  time, 
and  we  find  that  he  had  applied  for  and  received  per- 
mission on  account  of  his  health  to  go  to  the  southern 
states,  stopping  on  his  way  at  New  York  for  medical 
attention.  Before  leaving  for  his  trip  in  1780  he  had 
requested  the  Colonial  Government  for  permission  to 
have  some  necessary  work  done  at  the  Island,  and  in 
reply  received  the  following: 

"On  application  of  Mr  Jno.  Winthrop  of  N.  London, 
representing  that  he  is  proprietor  of  Fishers  Island;  that 
the  buildings  thereon  are  all  burned  and  destroyed  by 
the  enemy  etc, — the  island  desolate,  and  the  wood  plun- 
dered &c,  praying  that  he  may  be  permitted  for  the 
preservation  of  his  property  to  build  a  small  brick  house 
and  put  a  family  there  for  the  protection  of  the  estate 
and  some  small  stock  &c;  Resolved,  that  he  be  permitted 
to  erect  such  small  buildings  and  by  and  with  the  consent 
of  the  authority  and  selectmen  of  the  town  of  N.  London 
he  may  be  permitted  to  put  onto  said  island  for  the  pur- 
pose aforesaid,  such  person  as  they  shall  aprove,  being 
a  friend  to  the  United  States  and  one  who  has  taken 
the  oath  of  fidelity,  and  with  his  family,  and  also,  two 
pair  of  oxen  and  three  cows  and  such  necessaries  only, 
to  be  by  them  allowed,  as  may  enable  such  tenant  to  live 
comfortably  for  the  present." 


62 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


Upon  reaching  New  York,  Winthrop  was  taken  worse 
and  soon  died,  when  only  twenty-nine  years  of  age.  He 
was  unmarried,  and  left  Fishers  Island  to  his  brother, 
Francis  Bayard  Winthrop.  The  new  owner  was  in  busi- 
ness in  New  York  and  it  is  very  doubtful  if  he  spent 
much  time  on  the  Island. 

"In  April,  1793,  Thomas  Allen  Jr  hired  Fishers 
Island,  New  York,  of  Francis  Bay[ard]  Winthrop,  pay- 
ing for  it  an  annual  rent  of  twenty-six  hundred  dollars. 
The  island  was  nine  miles  in  length,  and  contained  five 
thousand  acres.  He  had  twelve  families,  who  were  his 
tenants;  he  also  had  five  or  six  girls,  to  spin  and  weave, 
two  dairy  women,  a  cook,  and  colored  boy  to  help  her. 
They  made  two  sixty-pound  cheeses  per  day.  They  also 
made  butter.  Mr  Allen  kept  one  hundred  cows  and  two 
thousand  sheep;  he  bred  horses  and  mules,  and  raised  rye, 
wheat  and  oats.  He  hired  a  man  named  William  West- 
cote,  to  be  both  teacher  and  chaplain  for  his  own  and 
his  tenants'  large  families.  He  was  much  beloved  by  all 
under  him;  one  man  worked  for  him  twenty-eight  years, 
and  others  nearly  as  long. 

uMr  Allen  attended  St  James  Church,  New  London, 
Conn,  with  as  many  of  his  family  as  could  conveniently 
accompany  him.  They  went  in  his  sloop  Betsey  on  Sun- 
days and  Christmas  Day.  During  the  holidays  he  always 
invited  all  his  tenants  and  their  families  to  visit  him, 
provided  an  excellent  dinner  and  supper  for  them,  and 
afterwards  sent  to  the  aged,  sick,  and  those  unable  to 
be  present.  All  looked  forward  to  the  Christmas  gath- 
erings, for  they  had  a  nice  time; — a  dance,  and  games 
for  the  young  people  occupied  the  evenings,  when  Jack 
(the  colored  boy)  played  on  a  violin.    Mr  Allen  lived 


FRANCIS  BAYARD  WINTHROP 


\ 


REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  63 

nineteen  years  on  the  island.  When  he  moved  away  all 
his  tenants  also  left,  as  they  said  they  did  not  wish  to 
live  there  without  him. 

"Five  of  Thomas  and  Amelia  Allen's  children  were 
born  on  the  island,  as  has  been  stated;  three,  Samuel 
Tabor,  Pardon,  and  the  youngest,  (Lizzie)  died  and 
are  buried  there.  Thomas  Allen  was  called  either  Squire 
or  Captain.  Before  coming  to  the  Island  he  had  been 
at  sea,  trading  with  the  Island  of  Madeira.  His  son 
Lewis  Allen  also  lived  on  the  Island  and  after  marrying 
lived  at  the  West  End  and  managed  the  farm  there.  He 
owned  half  of  the  cows  and  made  one  of  the  famous 
sixty-pound  cheeses. " 

From  the  Connecticut  Gazette,  which  was  published 
in  New  London  Wednesday,  Jan.  1st,  18 12,  we  find  men- 
tion of  a  severe  storm  that  did  considerable  damage : 

"The  late  gale  will  ever  be  memorable;  it  extended 
with  more  or  less  violence  from  Boston  to  the  Delaware, 
but  appears  to  have  raged  with  its  greatest  power  along 
the  coast  of  this  state. 

"The  sloop  Maria  Willard  from  Warren  for  New 
York  lay  at  Great  Harbor,  Fishers  Island;  her  mast  was 
cut  away  and  she  sprung  a  leak,  the  cable  was  cut,  when 
striking  on  a  reef,  9  hogsheads  of  Rum  were  stove  in, 
which  lightened  her  so  much  that  she  went  on  shore  with- 
out further  injury.  A  smack  from  Mistic  went  on  shore 
at  Fishers  Island,  and  bilged;  the  people  waded  on 
shore." 


» 


The  War  of  1812 

DURING  the  War  of  1812  we  find  no  mention  of 
Fishers  Island's  suffering  from  raids  as  it  had 
during  the  Revolution.  The  British  fleet  made 
Block  Island  their  headquarters  and  held  a  strict  blockade 
of  the  Sound  and  New  London.  Ships  of  war  were 
constantly  cruising  about  looking  for  chances  to  destroy 
the  boats  or  ships  of  the  United  States.  So  strict  was 
this  blockade  that  Commodore  Decatur,  who  in  the 
United  States  had  brought  in  as  a  prize  the  Macedonia 
on  December  4th,  18 12,  was  bottled  up  in  the  Thames 
River  and  did  not  have  a  chance  to  leave  until  peace  was 
signed,  when  he  sailed  to  New  York. 

The  following,  taken  from  an  original  Log  Book,  is 
the  very  meagre  history  of  Fishers  Island  in  this  war: 

A  log 
of  the 
Proceedings 
of 

H.M.S.  La  Hogue 
Honble  Thomas  B.  Capel  (Cap) 
Kept  by 
Frederick  Paxton  (Midn) 
May  13-1813 
Oct  15-1814 
64 


THE  WAR  OF  1812  65 
"Friday  27th  May. 

"A.M.  Calm,  and  thick  foggy.  Guard  Boats  ahead 
till  day  light.  11  Fog  cleared  away.  Observed  enemy's 
Gun  Boats  pulling  along  Shore.  San  Tejo,  and  Sloop 
at  anchor  of  Fishers  Island.  PM." 

The  life  on  these  blockading  ships  must  have  been 
very  tedious,  though  some  excitement  was  had  at  times 
in  capturing  and  boarding  the  enemy  ships,  and  one  at- 
tempt to  blow  up  a  British  ship  added  a  real  danger. 

Occasionally,  in  the  Log,  a  day  is  met  with  when  pun- 
ishment was  meted  out  to  those  of  the  crew  that  had 
been  unruly,  and  it  was  very  severe. 

"H.M.S.  La  Hogue,  at  anchor  off  N.  London. 
"A.M.  Calm  and  Fine.  3  shortened  Sail,  and  came  to, 
with  the  Small  Bower  in  30  fathoms. — Punished  Jas 
Barrett  (sea)  with  3  doz,  Jno  Collins  (mar)  2  doz.  and 
Chas  Clark  (sea)  2  doz,  lashes  for  Drunkeness  and 
Frances  Harrison  (m)  2  doz  and  Wm  Pittman  (m)  with 
2  dozen  lashes  for  leaving  their  posts." 

On  August  9th,  1 8 14,  the  British  fleet,  consisting  of 
the  Ramillies,  74,  the  Poctolus,  44,  the  Terror,  bomb 
ship,  and  a  gun  brig,  the  Despatch,  sailed  into  Fishers 
Island  Sound  and  proceeded  to  Stonington  which  they 
bombarded  after  considerately  notifying  the  inhabitants 
to  vacate. 

On  the  ninth  of  June,  18 14,  there  is  this  entry: 
"Reed  Information  from  Supurb  by  Sig,  of  there  be- 
ing Peace  between  G.  Britain  &  France.  Bounaparte 
having  abdicated  the  Crown,  and  returned  to  the  Isle 
of  Elba." 


66 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


Taxes  were  small  in  these  days  and  in  1814  the  total 
amount  was  only  $68.67  f°r  tne  entire  Island. 

On  his  death,  May  16th,  18 17,  it  was  found  that 
Fishers  Island  had  been  left  by  Francis  Bayard  Winthrop 
to  his  four  sons.  In  18 18  William  H.  Winthrop,  who 
had  been  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  the  Class  of 
1809,  became  the  sole  owner,  having  purchased  his  three 
brothers'  interests.  He  spent  much  time  on  the  Island, 
but  did  not  raise  a  great  deal  of  stock.  When  Ruel  R. 
Strickland  was  acting  as  manager  for  him  in  1838  there 
wrere  listed  only  one  hundred  cows,  five  yoke  of  oxen,  one 
driving  horse,  twenty-five  horses  and  colts  and  twelve 
hundred  sheep. 

His  son,  William  H.  Winthrop,  Jr.,  lived  in  the  Win- 
throp house  at  the  East  End  in  1843  and  afterwards 
moved  down  and  made  his  home  in  the  Mansion  House. 
The  East  End  house  being  left  vacant,  Thomas  Winthrop 
moved  in  and  made  that  his  home.  A  daughter  of  Mr. 
William  H.  Winthrop,  Jr.,  relates  that  when  a  doctor 
was  needed  it  was  the  custom  to  raise  a  white  flag  on  one 
of  the  hills  north  of  the  Mansion  House.  The  signal 
being  seen,  a  doctor  would  sail  over  from  Noank.  On 
this  hill  was  a  large  rock  where  a  telescope  was  laid  to 
watch  for  the  doctor  or  any  person  expected. 

One  deep  snow  storm  covered  the  Island  so  completely 
that  in  riding  to  the  East  End  one  day  it  was  impossible 
to  follow  the  road,  and  the  riders  rode  over  the  stone 
walls  as  if  they  were  not  there. 

On  Wednesday  of  each  week  Winthrop  sent  his  sloop, 
the  Arabella,  to  New  London  or  Noank  for  mail  and 
provisions,  and  this  was  the  only  regular  communication 
with  the  mainland. 


WILLIAM  H.  WINTHROP 


THE  WAR  OF  1812 


67 


There  were  only  five  houses  on  the  Island  during  this 
period:  the  East  End  House,  the  old  brown  house  at 
the  Flat  plains  (now  Middle  Farm),  the  White  House, 
which  is  said  to  be  haunted,  at  the  Brick  Yard,  the  Man- 
sion House,  and  a  house  for  workmen  not  far  distant 
from  the  Mansion  House.  There  was  a  rumor  that  the 
East  End  House  formerly  was  panelled  and  that  this 
was  removed  when  the  Winthrops  left  the  Island.  This 
story,  however,  is  without  foundation,  as  the  Winthrops 
took  with  them  when  they  departed  only  their  personal 
belongings.  It  was  during  this  Winthrop's  time  of 
ownership  that  the  wreck  of  the  Atlantic  occurred,  and 
wagons  were  sent  out  to  collect  the  bodies  and  bring 
them  to  the  Mansion  House  barn  where  they  were  laid 
out  for  identification. 

For  over  two  hundred  years  the  Winthrops  had 
owned  and  managed  every  foot  of  the  Island  and  had 
not  allowed  any  one  to  get  possession  of  any  part  of  it. 
At  last,  in  1847,  tne  United  States  purchased  the  North 
Dumpling  and  erected  a  lighthouse  there. 

William  H.  Winthrop  died  in  i860,  followed  three 
years  later  by  his  wife.  It  then  became  necessary  for 
the  heirs,  William  H.,  Jr.,  Thomas  P.,  and  Francis  B., 
and  the  two  daughters,  Jane  P.  Chester  and  Mary  T. 
Pratt,  to  dispose  of  it.  A  purchaser  was  found  in  the 
person  of  Mr.  Robert  R.  Fox,  a  retired  manufacturer, 
of  New  York.  The  heirs  deeded  to  George  F.  Chester 
the  entire  Island  and  its  Hummocks,  he  in  turn  trans- 
ferring it  to  Mr.  Fox;  and  the  Island  that  had  been  in 
the  Winthrop  family  for  two  hundred  and  eighteen  years 
passed  to  a  stranger. 


Later  Days 


HEN  Mr.  Fox  purchased  the  Island  in  1863,  he 
planned  to  cultivate  it  more  than  ever  had  been 
done  and  hoped  to  develop  it  along  the  lines  of 
a  fine  stock  farm.  He  erected  a  mill  for  grinding  his 
grain.  Some  old  mill  stones  still  lie  behind  the  Mansion 
House,  though  the  mill  has  long  since  disappeared,  but 
it  is  thought  that  these  stones  belonged  to  a  mill  in  the 
time  of  the  Winthrops.  Large  barns  were  erected  where 
the  live  stock  were  cared  for  in  the  wintertime.  The 
Press  barn,  standing  near  the  present  entrance  of  the 
Fort,  and  the  Mansion  barn  were  the  largest;  a  smaller 
one  was  in  the  Durfee  meadow,  and  part  of  its  founda- 
tion forms  a  bunker  on  the  golf  course  which  now  covers 
the  meadow. 

Unfortunately  Mr.  Fox  died  in  the  summer  of  1 87 1 , 
before  he  had  time  to  perfect  his  plans.  He  was  buried 
near  the  Union  Chapel  on  the  knoll  near  the  pines,  but 
his  body  was  afterwards  removed  to  Brooklyn  and  in- 
terred there. 

A  letter  from  his  daughter,  the  former  Miss  Fay 
Fox,  says : 

uMy  father  carried  on  stock  farming  on  a  somewhat 
large  scale.  On  the  several  farms  at  one  time  were 
twenty-four  hundred  sheep,  five  hundred  head  of  horned 
cattle,  and  several  hundred  horses.  A  large  sloop,  the 
Richard  Smith,  and  the  yacht  Fay  Fox  were  moored  at 

68 


ROBERT  R.  FOX 


LATER  DAYS 


69 


the  wharf  in  front  of  the  Mansion.  The  former  on  two 
occasions  yearly  made  a  trip  to  New  York,  returning 
with  a  large  cargo — foodstuffs,  farming  implements  and 
the  various  essentials  for  a  small  store.  The  yacht,  on 
Tuesday  and  Friday,  set  sail  for  New  London  and  this 
was  our  only  communication  with  the  mainland  for  many 
years.  During  the  very  severe  winters  that  were  to  be 
experienced  it  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  us  to  be 
ice-bound  for  three  weeks.  A  tug  would  finally  be  char- 
tered to  bring  over  mail  and  a  few  passengers,  and, 
breaking  through  the  ice  off  North  Hill,  the  landing  was 
made  in  whatever  was  the  most  practical  way,  sometimes 
in  a  small  boat  or  even  coming  ashore  over  the  ice. 

"When  we  had  as  a  guest  a  clergyman,  a  Service  was 
held  on  Sunday  in  the  Music  Room,  so  called.  A  man 
was  sent  out  on  horseback  and  notified  everyone  on  the 
Island  and  every  one  came.  There  were  some  forty 
men  employed  on  the  Mansion  Farm,  and  the  sloop 
Richard  Smith  took  over  to  New  London  any  of  them 
who  cared  to  attend  Service  there,  but  this  plan  was 
finally  abandoned,  as  a  head  wind  or  tide  meant  too 
much  of  an  element  of  uncertainty  to  the  trip  in  either 
direction.  We  had  several  wrecks  during  each  winter 
usually  and  that  meant  an  excitement  for  us,  and  the  ship- 
wrecked crew  were  always  cared  for  at  the  Farm  House. 

"Have  I  mentioned  this  episode  of  my  early  days,  a 
prize  fight?  There  were  two  but  the  first  one  was  the 
important  one.  A  farm  hand  came  rushing  around  to 
the  front  piazza  to  tell  my  father  that  two  or  three 
hundred  men  were  being  landed  from  two  big  schooners 
near  North  Hill.  Father  ordered  his  horse  and,  fol- 
lowed by  every  man  on  the  premises,  set  out  to  investi- 


70  FISHERS  ISLAND 

gate  matters.  The  big  field  just  below  the  Twin  Hills 
was  the  scene  of  action.  All  the  women  and  children, 
too  frightened  to  be  left  behind,  followed  on  and  from 
the  Twin  Hills  we  looked  down  upon  the  scene,  one 
which  I  have  never  forgotten.  Sentinels  were  on  watch 
for  an  approaching  steamer  with  officers  of  the  law,  and 
the  affair  was  not  one  of  pure  enjoyment  for  fear  of 
liability  to  arrest." 

The  field  where  the  prize  fight  was  held  is  still  known 
as  the  Battle  Field  and  lies  several  hundred  yards  north 
of  the  Mansion  House. 

For  eighteen  years  after  Mr.  Fox's  death  the  Island 
remained  in  the  Fox  family.  The  farming  was  kept  up, 
but  on  a  smaller  scale  and  efforts  were  made  to  utilize 
the  natural  beauties  and  develop  it  into  a  summer  col- 
ony. Quite  a  number  of  lots  were  sold  and  cottages 
built,  and  one  hotel,  the  Lyles  Beach,  was  erected.  The 
brick  yard  was  opened  and  the  bricks,  which  were  of  a 
fine  quality,  have  been  used  in  making  homes  and  public 
buildings  in  many  places  up  and  down  the  coast. 

Finally,  in  1889,  Mr.  Lyles,  who  was  the  trustee  for 
the  heirs,  sold  the  Island  with  its  Hummocks  and  small 
islands  to  the  Messrs.  Edmund  M.  and  Walton  Fer- 
guson. 

Mr.  Edmund  Morewood  Ferguson  was  born  in  New 
York  City  August  15th,  1838.  After  his  graduation 
from  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  he  engaged  for 
some  years  in  the  iron  business.  He  lived  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  and,  after  purchasing  a  half  interest  in  Fishers 
Island,  spent  the  summers  there  in  his  own  house  on 
the  Highland  Range  overlooking  what  is  now  Fort 
Wright. 


EDMUND  M.  FERGUSON 


/ 


LATER  DAYS 


7i 


Mr.  Walton  Ferguson  was  born  at  Stamford,  Conn., 
on  July  6th,  1842.  He  also  attended  Trinity  College. 
For  several  years  he  was  in  business  with  his  father, 
John  Ferguson,  in  New  York,  but  lived  at  Stamford. 
Afterwards  he  moved  to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  where  he  be- 
came associated  in  the  coke  business  with  his  brother  and 
Mr.  H.  C.  Frick.  In  1884  he  returned  to  Stamford 
and  made  his  home  there  until  his  death  on  April  7th, 
1922.  At  Fishers  Island  he  had  his  own  home  in  the 
neighborhood  of  North  Hill,  commanding  a  beautiful 
view  over  the  waters  of  the  Sound  and  the  Connecticut 
shore.  On  the  death  of  his  brother,  E.  M.  Ferguson, 
at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  on  June  1 8th,  1904,  he  took  over  the 
other  half  of  the  Island,  and  ran  it  under  the  firm  name 
of  E.  M.  &  W.  Ferguson  until  July,  19 18,  when  it  was 
incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Fishers  Island 
Farms,  Inc. 

The  original  idea  of  the  Fergusons  was  to  keep  the 
Island  as  it  always  had  been,  simple  and  like  a  private 
estate.  Unfortunately  one  thing  led  to  another  and  the 
Island  started  to  expand.  To  utilize  the  large  barns 
and  the  hay  it  was  decided  to.  raise  horses.  This  was 
tried,  but  soon  proved  a  dismal  failure.  The  Mansion 
House  that  had  been  open  for  many  years  became 
cramped  and,  the  prospects  becoming  brighter,  an  addi- 
tion was  joined  to  it  and  a  number  of  cottages  built. 
The  supply  of  accommodations,  however,  was  soon  out- 
grown and  first  one  addition  and  then  another  was  added, 
and  more  cottages  built,  until  the  Mansion  House  itself 
could  hardly  be  seen,  surrounded  as  it  was  by  so  many 
other  buildings. 

One  of  the  first  things  done  was  to  purchase  the  old 


72  FISHERS  ISLAND 

Lyles  Beach  Hotel  that  was  used  as  an  objective  for 
steamers  with  excursion  parties.  This  hotel  was  re- 
built from  top  to  bottom  and  renamed  the  Munnatawket. 
It  stands  upon  one  of  the  most  attractive  sites  on  the 
Island. 

A  band  of  several  hundred  sheep  was  grazed  for  a 
good  many  years,  but  it  was  too  few  in  number  to  need 
a  herder  and  was  a  constant  bother,  as  the  sheep  were 
continually  getting  through  the  fences  and  damaging  the 
crops.    They  were  disposed  of  in  19 14. 

As  no  good  milk  could  be  purchased  and  brought  to  the 
Island  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  summer  population,  a 
dairy  was  started.  The  Wilderness  Barn  was  built  which, 
with  the  Middle  Farm,  gave  stable  room  for  a  large 
herd.  Different  breeds  were  tried,  but  the  Holstein 
proved  the  best  all-around  breed  for  the  Island,  and 
gradually  the  others  were  eliminated.  The  care  of  the 
cows  and  milk  was  put  in  the  hands  of  the  New  York 
County  Medical  Commission,  and  from  that  time  on 
the  milk  delivered  was  clean  and  good.  To  feed  all 
these  cows,  about  two  hundred  in  number,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  grow  hay  and  ensilage  corn,  so  farming  was 
carried  on  in  quite  an  extensive  way.  In  1924  it  was 
learned  that  good  milk  and  cream  could  be  brought  by 
motor  trucks  from  inland  points  in  Connecticut,  and 
delivered  to  the  boat  in  as  good  condition  as  the  Farms 
could  produce  it.  As  a  result,  in  one  day  one  hundred 
and  forty  cows  were  shipped  from  the  Island.  Only 
about  thirty  cows  and  some  young  stock  were  retained 
to  care  for  the  winter  population  and  to  produce  certified 
milk  during  the  summer  months.  It  was  essential  to 
have  good  milk,  though  the  dairy  had  been  run  at  a 


LATER  DAYS 


73 


large  loss;  now,  due  to  motor  transportation,  it  has 
become  possible  to  do  away  entirely  with  the  herd. 

Until  1899  the  residents  of  the  Island  were  forced  to 
depend  on  candles,  lamps  or  private  lighting  plants. 
Street  lights  were  unknown.  At  this  date  an  electric 
light  station  was  built  and  electricity  was  pretty  generally 
installed.  Street  lights  were  erected  where  most  needed 
and  the  night  appearance  of  the  roads  was  greatly  im- 
proved. In  1922  the  plant,  having  become  quite  anti- 
quated, was  closed  down,  and  a  cable  run  from  near  the 
Munnatawket  dock,  between  the  Hummocks  over  to 
Groton  Long  Point,  where  it  connected  with  one  of  the 
power  companies.  This  cable  is  capable  of  carrying  a 
heavy  voltage,  and  besides  furnishing  the  houses  and 
hotels,  also  supplies  Fort  Wright  with  electricity. 

There  have  been  three  different  schoolhouses  built  on 
the  Island,  school  having  also  been  held  in  the  Mansion 
House.  The  first  schoolhouse  was  built  at  the  Brick 
Yard,  as  the  majority  of  the  children  lived  in  that  neigh- 
borhood. In  1888  the  second  school  was  built  near  the 
Episcopal  Church,  but  with  the  increased  numbers  of 
winter  residents,  augmented  with  the  children  from  Fort 
Wright,  the  accommodations  were  outgrown  and  it  was 
necessary  to  get  larger  quarters.  In  19 14  a  new  school, 
up-to-date  in  every  way,  was  built  on  the  land  adjoining 
the  Union  Chapel.  The  old  schoolhouse  was  deeded  to 
the  Public  Library,  which  now  has  over  seven  thousand 
volumes,  and,  thanks  to  the  interest  of  many  of  the 
summer  people,  has  a  very  good  assortment  of  books. 

The  first  Church  on  the  Island  was  St.  John's  Episco- 
pal Church.  This  was  erected  in  1881,  largely  by  the 
efforts  of  Henry  Bowers,  George  H.  Bartlett  and  Rich- 


74  FISHERS  ISLAND 

ard  H.  Chipman.  It  stands  on  a  beautiful  site  overlook- 
ing the  West  End,  and  connecting  with  its  grounds  is  the 
cemetery  for  the  Island.  As  this  church  was  hardly 
suited  to  all  creeds,  the  Union  Chapel  was  erected  in 
1898,  due  largely  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  F.  E.  Hine.  In 
1905  a  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  constructed  a  short 
distance  south  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  These  two 
churches  remain  open  throughout  the  year,  thus  afford- 
ing places  of  worship  to  the  winter  residents  of  the 
Island. 

One  of  Mr.  Fox's  daughters  conducted  the  first  Post 
Office.  The  mail  was  brought  over  from  Noank  only 
twice  a  week,  so  her  duties  were  light  in  the  little  office 
connected  with  the  Mansion  House. 

After  the  regular  mail  contracts  were  put  into  effect, 
the  Post  Office  was  moved  to  the  Murdock  Cottage,  and 
when  the  Office  Building  was  erected  in  1898,  it  was 
again  moved  to  its  present  quarters.  The  Office  Build- 
ing, besides  housing  the  Post  Office,  is  the  office  of  the 
Fishers  Island  Farm,  Inc.,  which  is  the  company  running 
the  different  departments  that  the  Fergusons  have  from 
time  to  time  been  forced  to  add  to  care  for  the  ever- 
growing numbers  of  summer  people.  The  telephone  and 
telegraph  office  are  also  in  this  building.  A  large  room 
on  the  second  floor  is  used  as  a  meeting  place  for  differ- 
ent organizations,  and  most  of  the  social  activities  are 
held  there  during  the  winter. 

"Some  of  the  old  residents  still  have  cause  to  remem- 
ber the  old  steamer  Fishers  Island,  the  first  steamer  to 
make  regular  trips  to  New  London.  Many  others  have 
pleasant  memories  of  the  Skip-Jack,  a  relic  of  the  Island, 


WALTON  FERGUSOX 


LATER  DAYS 


75 


and  of  Capt.  Nash,  who  never  failed  to  entertain  his 
passengers  with  stories  of  his  fertile  brain." 

The  Munnatawket  was  built  in  1890,  and  is  still  run- 
ning. From  time  to  time  work  has  been  done  on  her, 
but  so  well  was  she  built  of  picked  timbers  and  planks 
that  to-day  she  is  as  seaworthy  as  when  she  first  took 
the  water.  Two  years  ago  her  engine,  that  had  been  in 
use  for  thirty-three  years,  was  removed  and  a  Diesel  en- 
gine installed,  permitting  more  deck  space  for  automo- 
biles as  well  as  making  her  more  economical  to  operate. 

In  1904  a  larger  boat  was  needed,  and  the  Restless 
was  built.  She  received  her  name  from  the  Onrust,  in 
which  Adrian  Block  had  sailed  on  his  voyage  of  dis- 
covery nearly  three  hundred  years  before.  This  boat  is 
used  only  in  the  summertime,  and  the  Munnatawket 
makes  her  way  back  and  forth  during  the  winter  months. 


Here  and  There 


IT  is  difficult  to  tell  how  old  are  any  of  the  Winthrop 
houses  on  the  Island.    We  know  that  Winthrop,  in 
1780,  stated  that  the  houses  were  all  burned,  which 
would  make  it  seem  that  nothing  remains  older  than 
that  date.    On  the  contrary,  however,  tradition  has  it 
that  they  are  over  two  hundred  years  old. 

The  Winthrop  House  at  the  East  End  was  added  to 
by  Mr.  Fox,  who  put  on  the  two-storied  porch  and  the 
addition  in  the  rear.  The  Mansion  House  consisted 
originally  of  only  the  front  part,  now  used  as  the  hotel 
office.  An  old  Dutch  doorway,  covered  by  a  small  porch 
with  seats  on  either  side,  opened  into  a  narrow  hall,  on 
the  right  of  which  was  the  music  room.  On  the  left  was 
the  kitchen  with  a  huge  fireplace.  A  different  roof,  the 
present  mansard,  was  put  on  by  Mr.  Fox. 

The  Brick  Yard  House,  or,  as  it  was  formerly  called, 
the  White  House,  was  one  of  the  three  Winthrop  houses. 
It  has  always  been  haunted,  according  to  tradition,  but 
for  many  years  the  inhabitants  have  not  been  visited,  and 
what  the  story  is  no  one  knows.  It  is  probably  of  the 
same  period  as  the  East  End  house,  which  is  a  brick 
house  covered  with  shingles.  No  mention  has  ever  been 
made  of  this  house,  and  its  real  history  is  unknown, 
save  that  it  was  used  as  an  office  for  the  brick  company 
for  several  years. 

The  old  lock  and  key  of  the  Mansion  House  are  still 

76 


HERE  AND  THERE 


77 


in  existence,  and  until  a  short  time  ago  were  in  the  pos- 
session of  one  of  Mr.  Fox's  heirs.  She  writes  that  it  was 
"a  huge  affair  and  in  perfect  working  order,  and  at  least 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,"  and  that  uin  the  early 
days  one  of  the  Winthrops  had  always  had  the  key  put 
under  his  pillow  every  night." 

Until  1 8 15  the  Island  maintained  its  original  appear- 
ance, save  for  several  scattered  clearings  which  had  been 
made  on  which  to  raise  crops,  necessary  for  the  use  of 
those  residing  on  the  Island,  and  for  the  live  stock  that 
was  being  raised  there. 

On  Friday,  Sept.  22nd,  18 15,  a  gale  of  great  force 
came  along  the  coast  and  practically  laid  bare  the  Island. 
The  oaks,  maples  and  other  trees  that  covered  the  greater 
part  of  the  Island  were  overturned  or  broken,  and  what 
had  once  been  a  wooded  retreat  for  deer  and  other 
animals  became  an  open  stretch  of  rolling  hills.  Even 
to  this  day,  the  decayed  remains  of  large  trees  can  be 
seen  lying  where  they  were  hurled  during  the  great 
wind. 

So  strong  was  the  wind  that  the  harbor  water  at  New 
London  was  held  in,  and  caused  to  rise  three  or  four 
feet  higher  than  ever  before  recorded,  covering  the  docks 
and  flooding  the  land  lying  along  the  water  front.  Ves- 
sels were  driven  ashore,  stores  fell  and  trees  were  blown 
down,  and  the  general  damage  was  great.  At  Stonington 
every  vessel  in  the  harbor  went  ashore.  At  Providence, 
forty  were  driven  upon  the  river  banks.  So  strong  was 
the  wind  that  the  salt  spray  was  driven  far  inland,  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  streams  and  wells  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, according  to  the  New  London  newspaper  of  the 
day,  became  brackish. 


78  FISHERS  ISLAND 

On  the  Island,  only  those  trees  that  lay  in  the  shel- 
tered parts  were  spared.  The  old-fashioned  rail  fences, 
whose  zigzag  lines  can  still  be  traced,  were  given  up  for 
lack  of  wood,  and  from  that  time  it  was  necessary  to 
purchase  elsewhere  the  lumber  needed  on  the  Island. 
What  few  trees  were  left  commenced  a  new  growth,  and 
several  fair-sized  patches  of  woods  lie  scattered  about, 
consisting  mainly  of  oak  and  maple,  while  here  and  there 
hickory,  beech  and  pepperidge  trees  are  found,  adding 
to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape  and  also  providing  homes 
for  many  of  the  tree-loving  birds. 

Near  the  place  where  Hempstead,  writing  in  his  diary 
of  1738,  tells  of  getting  his  boat  ua  ground  on  the 
flatts,"  is  situated  the  Hay  Harbor  Club.  The  Club  is 
the  center  of  the  Island's  social  life  and  here  the  tennis, 
dancing  and  boating  enthusiasts  gather.  The  Club  is 
only  an  old  house,  added  to  in  every  direction  until  it 
has  lost  every  semblance  that  it  ever  bore  to  the  original. 
Its  location,  wide  porches  and  service,  however,  make  it 
attractive,  and  for  years  it  has  been  most  popular.  The 
little  children  find  the  sand  bar  a  wonderful  place  on 
which  to  wade  and  sail  their  boats  in  the  shallow  water. 
A  pool  was  dredged  out,  and  a  dock  constructed  leading 
from  it  to  the  bath  houses,  which  gives  an  opportunity 
to  the  older  people  who  like  to  dive  and  swim  in  still 
water.  The  beaches  further  up  the  Island  afford  fine 
bathing  for  those  preferring  the  rougher  waters  of  the 
ocean. 

Little  Hay  Harbor  is  the  home  of  the  smaller  boats. 
Motor  boats,  skidooies  sailed  by  the  youngsters,  and  the 
one-design  class  are  kept  in  its  sheltered  waters.  The 
boats  of  the  one-design  class  race  once  or  twice  a  week 


o 

C  CO 
CO  1-1 


w 

<  < 

o  £ 

Oh  ^ 

I— I 

H  < 

Oh 

K  < 

M  £ 
£2  c 


HERE  AND  THERE  79 

outside  the  harbor,  and  have  many  exciting  contests  for 
the  cups  that  are  awarded. 

For  twenty-three  years  the  Fergusons  had  as  their 
superintendent  Mr.  F.  E.  Hine.  During  all  these  years 
he  never  spared  himself  in  work  for  the  interests  of  the 
Island.  He  held  the  only  public  office,  that  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  was  a  prime  mover  in  all  public  affairs, 
giving  largely  of  his  spare  time  to  the  Library  and  Union 
Chapel. '  When  people  were  in  trouble  he  went  to  their 
aid  either  with  advice  or  help  as  the  case  might  require. 
He  died  in  November,  1923,  and  the  Fishers  Island 
Farms  and  the  people  on  the  Island  lost  a  real  friend. 

Several  other  employees  have  worked  for  the  present 
owners  for  thirty  or  more  years,  and  the  majority  of 
department  heads  have  been  at  least  ten  years  on  the 
Island.  Having  men  like  these,  who  can  be  depended 
upon,  makes  lighter  the  troubles  that  arise  at  times. 

OLD  GRAVES 

Aside  from  one  or  two  Indian  graves  which  have  been 
dug  up,  the  oldest  grave  that  we  have  any  record  of  is 
that  of  Samuel  Pierpont.  He  was  drowned  while  cross- 
ing the  Connecticut  River,  and  his  body  was  washed 
ashore  on  the  Island  April  28th,  1723,  a  few  hundred 
yards  east  of  the  Coast  Guard  beach.  The  old  flat 
tombstone  of  red  sandstone  is  still  in  place  and,  having 
been  recut  in  1924,  the  inscription  tells  the  story.  An 
old  account  says  the  following  of  Pierpont: 

"Essaying  to  pass  over  Connecticut  River,  towards 
Lime,  a  league  above  Seabrook  Ferry,  in  a  canoo,  with 
an  experienced  Indian  Water-man;  a  suddain  and  unusual 


8o 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


Storm  of  Wind  came  down  upon  them,  overwhelmed  and 
drowned  them. — He  had  an  extraordinary  gift  in  Prayer; 
was  a  Boanerges  in  Preaching;  of  a  very  acceptable 
Conservatism,  and  highly  valued  by  the  people  of 
Lime.', 

North  of  Chocomount  were  found,  several  years  ago, 
on  one  of  the  ridges,  the  graves  of  two  children  and  two 
adults.  Only  rough  fieldstones  had  been  erected  to  serve 
as  markers,  and  who  these  people  were  will  probably 
never  be  known.  As  there  are  some  old  foundations  not 
far  distant  it  is  likely  that  they  were  some  tenants  that 
were  employed  by  the  Winthrops  many  years  ago. 

On  the  point  running  out  from  the  East  End  towards 
the  Coast  Guard  Station  is  another  grave  with  the  ini- 
tials "W.  W.  S."  and  "Westerly  R.  I."  cut  on  a  rough 
stone.  This  stone  is  in  a  hollow  and  is  rather  difficult 
to  find.  In  all  probability  it  marks  the  resting  place 
of  someone  who  was  drowned  and  buried  where  his  body 
came  ashore. 

In  1924  a  letter  was  received  from  one  of  the  pre- 
vious owners  of  the  Island  in  which  she  said: 

"As  a  child  I  used  to  be  much  interested  in  trying 
to  decipher  the  almost  obliterated  inscriptions  on  three 
or  four  very  old  tombstones  which  were  on  the  gentle 
rise  of  ground  just  above  the  swamp  and  between  the 
Mansion  House  and  the  Lyles  Cottage.  I  recall  one 
stone  marked  the  grave  of  a  Lizzie  Allen,  aged  seventeen, 
drowned.  When  the  meadow  was  seeded  down  these 
stones  were  laid  face  downward,  I  have  often  wondered 
why,  and  finally  grassed  over." 

Late  in  September  of  the  same  year  a  man  was  set 
to  digging  a  trench  on  the  summit  of  this  slope.  In 


HERE  AND  THERE 


81 


a  few  minutes  discolored  earth  was  encountered  and 
on  digging  further  a  body  was  found.  Filling  in  this 
grave,  the  trench  was  continued  and,  in  all,  five  graves 
were  located.  Only  one  had  a  real  headstone  and  on 
that  was  engraved: 

"Joseph  Son  of 
Mr  Joseph  &  Abigail  Congdon 
died  Feb  13 —  1792 
aged 
4  days." 

The  other  stones  that  were  met  with  were  crude  field- 
stones,  with  no  names,  and  the  one  of  which  the  letter 
told  was  not  found.  As  these  graves  were  uncovered 
after  very  little  digging,  it  is  believed  that  others  lie 
there  and  that  this  spot  was  the  old  burying  ground  of 
the  Island. 

TREASURE  HUNTERS 

There  have  been  many  rumors  about  buried  treasure 
on  Fishers  Island,  but  only  two  have  any  records  to 
substantiate  them.  Near  the  Winthrop  House  at  the 
East  End  a  treasure  was  supposed  to  have  been  found, 
and  this  very  likely  was  what  led  to  the  name  given  the 
pond  east  of  the  house — Money  Pond. 

While  Captain  Kidd  sailed  about  the  waters  near  the 
Island  and  buried  at  least  one  treasure  on  Gardiner's 
Island,  there  is  nothing  but  rumor  to  say  that  he  made 
Fishers  Island  the  scene  of  any  of  his  activities.  One 
account,  of  somewhat  recent  date,  says : 


82 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


"An  old  seaman  now  in  command  of  a  fishing  yacht, 
whose  station  is  at  the  wharf  of  Shinnecossett  Neck,  as- 
sured me  that  he  had  seen  men  digging  for  this  treasure 
on  Fishers  Island,  at  Little  Hay  Harbor,  so  late  as 

1850." 

There  is  a  story  that  a  farmer  who  lived  at  one  time 
at  the  East  End  house,  while  plowing  one  day,  dug  up 
an  old  Spanish  cannon.  Soon  after  this  he  gave  up  his 
position  and  moved  over  to  the  mainland,  where  in  a 
few  years  he  died.  On  his  death  it  was  found  that  he 
had  left  a  good-sized  fortune  and  it  was  supposed  that 
beneath  the  cannon  he  had  unearthed  some  long  buried 
treasure. 

"Boston,  Mass.   July  25,  1892. 
"E.  M.  &  W.  Ferguson, 

"Fishers  Island,  N.  Y. 
"Gentlemen : — 

"About  eighty  years  since  a  member  of  our  Great 
Grandfather's  family  died  at  St.  Johns,  N.  B.  He  had 
been  a  sailor  and  had  accumulated  considerable  money. 
Before  he  died,  he  said  he  had  buried  for  certain  reasons 
an  iron  chest  at  Fisher's  Island,  N.  Y.  This  chest  he 
claimed  had  in  it  considerable  gold  and  silver.  He  made 
a  written  statement  of  the  exact  spot  where  it  could  be 
found.  This  paper  has  been  in  the  family  ever  since, 
and  although  enough  has  been  thought  of  it  to  preserve 
it,  no  one  has  ever  made  any  particular  investigation. 
Some  things  that  have  come  to  light  of  late  lead  us  to 
believe  that  he  did  have  at  one  time  considerable  money 
in  hard  cash  and  that  it  was  secreted  somewhere.  With 
two  other  interested  parties,  I  visited  the  Island  last 


HERE  AND  THERE 


83 


week  and  found  the  spot  where  he  claimed  the  chest 
was  buried.  Certainly  his  description  of  the  spot  where 
he  claimed  it  was  located  was  clear  enough  to  enable  us 
to  find  it,  if  it  is  there.  It  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
little  pond  at  the  mouth  of  Hay  Harbor.  We  write  for 
permission  to  dig  for  it.  We  should  not  want  to  open 
more  than  six  or  eight  feet  square,  and  two  men  can  do 
all  the  digging  required  in  less  than  one  half  day.  We 
will  guarantee  to  replace  the  earth  and  leave  it  in  as 
good  condition  as  we  find  it  excepting  the  breaking  of 
the  sod.  While  we  do  not  really  expect  we  can  find 
anything  there,  we  should  like  the  privilege  of  digging, 
under  the  circumstances.  Will  you  kindly  permit  us  to 
do  this?    We  should  expect  to  pay  for  all  damages. 

"Yours  respectfully, 


"Receipt  for  treasures  on  Fishers  Island,  Hay  Har- 
bor; West  of  the  harbor  50  feet  from  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor,  there  lies  a  large  rock  with  a  mark  on  the  rock 
one  yard  long  pointing  South  West — twenty  yards  from 
the  rock  the  same  point  there  lies  three  large  chests  of 
treasures  of  silver  and  gold,  besides  two  more  on  the 
north  side  of  the  pond  east  of  the  rock, — one  on  the 
bank  a  little  north  of  the  rock." 

In  answer  to  the  above  letter,  permission  was  given 
to  look  for  this  treasure.  No  one  took  the  interest  to 
be  on  hand  when  the  treasure  seekers  arrived.  They 
came,  dug  one  hole  and  departed,  without  anyone  being 
the  wiser,  and  it  seems  that  probably  they  were  successful 
in  their  search. 

A  few  years  later  another  man  came  to  the  Island. 


84  FISHERS  ISLAND 

He  hired  a  horse  and  buggy  and  spent  days  driving 
about,  finally  disclosing  that  he  was  looking  for  treasure. 
It  seems  that  in  going  over  some  old  letters  that  had 
been  in  his  wife's  family  for  generations  he  had  come 
across  the  following: 

"The  Grate  order  to  take  up  money. 

"November  6th  day  A.D.  1770. 

"Elisha  Livermore. 
Jordan  Poast. 
Gillond. 

Jonathan  Lester. 

Cholstar. 

Moses  Fuller. 

Capt.  Merry  Hartford. 
"These  may  certify  that  as  I  am  the  true  soul  owner 
of  Chist  of  money  full  of  gold;  and  thirteen  boxes  full 
of  gold  and  silver  that  is  hiden  upon  fishers  island,  I  do 
upon  good  consideration  give  over  all  my  right  and  power 
to  take  up  sd  money  to  Mr  Pratt  of  Lee  (Mass)  upon  his 
giving  one  tenth  parte  of  the  whole  to  the  heirs  of  Wil- 
liam Mathews  the  giver  to  me  if  to  be  found  but  if  not 
to  be  found  to  be  devided  amongst  the  other  partners. 
And  to  give  the  half  of  all  to  me  and  my  partners  and  to 
take  and  devide  the  one  half  with  the  said  Prat  and  his 
partners  as  he  and  they  agree;  and  if  I  am  dead  to  my 
childrine  as  I  shall  order  it  to  be  divided;  and  every  part- 
ner in  both  sides  to  promise  to  devoate  a  tenthpart  of 
theyer  part  to  the  benefit  of  the  gospell  or  school  where- 
soever they  pleas  and  if  I  am  dead  to  give  my  partners 
their  part  as  they  are  named  wids  Anna  Bingham;  one 
10th  of  the  whol;  Simion  Root  and  Elisha  Root  his  son 


HERE  AND  THERE  85 

one  10th  betwixt  them  zaryag  fare  one  10th  as  witness 
my  hand 


Q  HoATH 


&  £  ACH 


Where  the  line  crosses  there  is  the  chist.  4  feet  north 
in  an  East  and  West  line  there  is  the  boxes." 

Attached  to  this  treasure  paper  is  the  following  strange 
epistle,  which  if  it  ever  had  any  power  over  evil  spirits, 
will  have  ceased  to  exist  if  the  treasure  is  found  in  the 
future  and  anyone  may  now  safely  come  near  the  treasure 
without  coming  under  the  spell: 

"In  the  name  of  God  the  Ruler  of  all  Spirits  for  as 
much  as  money.  Sums  of  money  in  gold  and  silver  hath 
been  unjustly  taken  by  wicked  and  lawless  men  and  hid 
in  divers  parts  and  places  of  the  Earth  and  held  by  wicked 
and  strong  spirits  and  inchantments  and  held  from  men 
for  whose  use  it  was  ordained  to  be  good  as:  Genesis 
second  and  twelfth  therefore  no  evil  spirit  hath  no  just 
right  to  detain  it  and  if  silver  it  was  ordained  as  all 
things  for  the  use  of  man  and  was  the  price  of  the 
Lord  of  Glory,  therefore  no  evil  spirit  hath  no  just  right 
to  hold  it  from  the  use  of  man  whome  God  hath  maid 
and  given  all  these  things  for  their  use  and  them  for  his 
glory  Mathew  twenty  sixt  and  fifteen  agree  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  therefore  for  as  much  as  no  Evil  spirit 


86 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


hath  no  just  right  to  hold  aney  such  coin  nor  they  that 
hid  had  no  just  right  to  it,  I  do  by  the  name  of  God  the 
all  wise  King  of  all  Kings  three  persons  and  one  God 
adjure  all  such  spirits  so  holding  or  inchanting  such  sums 
of  gold  or  silver  unjustly  by  the  power  and  name  of  the 
almighty  God  to  withdraw  from  any  place  or  places 
where  this  adjurement  shall  be  seet  up  and  not  to  appear 
visibly  nor  by  power  invisible  to  move  aney  such  coin 
one  inch  and  by  the  name  of  the  almighty  God  adjure  you 
and  aney  of  you  to  depart  and  not  to  come  within  the 
space  of  ninety  and  nine  rods  from  aney  place  where  this 
adjurement  shall  be  set  up  for  the  terme  of  ninety  and 
nine  years;  in  the  name  of  all  the  all  mighty  God  amain. 

"Dated  November  6th  A.D.  1770 
"Mr  Moses  Fuller  Sr.    Reed  this  above  written  in  the 
fear  of  God  and  with  a  true  hart  and  I  hop  God  all 
mighty  will  helpe  you  Mr  Jonathan  Lester  or  aney  other 
man  you  shall  think  best  from  going  to  serve  at  Comnd. 

"Robert  Watson.'' 

The  owner  of  this  paper  was  given  permission  to 
search  for  the  treasure.  At  last  he  decided  that  the 
pond  now  called  the  Treasure  Pond  was  the  spot.  En- 
gaging a  diver,  he  explored  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  but 
with  no  success.  The  water  was  deep,  the  mud  deeper 
and  the  diver  could  make  little  headway,  so  that  finally 
the  attempt  was  given  up.  The  old  man  that  was  search- 
ing figured  that  the  treasure  was  worth  close  to  a  million 
dollars,  but  whether  he  chose  the  wrong  pond  or  whether 
the  evil  spirits  were  still  guarding  it,  the  fact  remains 
that  the  treasure  was  not  recovered. 


HERE  AND  THERE 


87 


SHIPWRECKS 

The  first  wreck  that  we  find  any  mention  of  occurring 
on  the  Island  was  the  John  and  Lucy,  a  British  merchant 
vessel  that  was  lost  on  Race  Point  in  1671.  She  was  a 
total  loss,  and  her  crew  are  thought  to  have  perished. 
She  was  an  armed  ship,  for  there  is  a  note  saying  her 
guns  were  recovered  by  seamen  from  New  London. 

During  the  night  of  November  28th,  1679,  another 
vessel,  the  barque  Providence,  standing  in  from  sea, 
drove  on  the  point  and  was  totally  wrecked.  Captain 
Dymond  and  his  companions  only  just  escaped  with  their 
lives.  In  a  queer  old  protest  which  he  presented  to  the 
authorities  in  New  London,  he  says  "he  acted  to  attayne 
to  the  porte  of  New  London  for  his  discharg,  and  com- 
ing neare  the  same  and  standing  of  and  in  the  night, 
as  judgment  directed  and  wind  and  weather  would  per- 
mit, under  extreame  darkness,  it  pleased  God  soe  to  order, 
that  by  the  extreamity  of  the  wind  and  weather,  the 
Barque  fell  among  a  parcell  of  rocks  neare  Fishers  Island 
Poynt,  where  the  said  Barke  and  all  her  goods  in  her 
perished  and  was  lost." 

Fitz-John  Winthrop,  the  following  March,  writes  to 
his  brother  Wait,  that  "seuerall  coyles  of  rigging  haueing 
been  taken  vp,  a  part  of  ye  wreck  that  was  lost  on  ye 
island,  I  have  detayned  them  ." 

A  Spanish  ship  of  some  size  was  wrecked  on  the 
Island,  but  the  only  mention  of  her  that  can  be  found  is 
from  the  journal  of  Simeon  Lyman  of  Sharon,  a  soldier. 

"Aug  23.  1775.  The  next  day  there  was  about  20 
of  us  went  aboard  a  sloop  and  went  to  Fishers  Island 
about  12  m. 


88 


FISHERS  ISLAND 


"24.  We  walked  about  and  we  went  aboard  of  the 
old  Spanish  ship  that  was  cast  away.  It  was  8  rod  long 
and  four  decks,  and  there  was  rooms  as  fine  as  any  in 
the  housen  all  papered  off." 

The  best  known  of  all  the  wrecks  that  have  occurred 
on  the  Island  was  the  new  side-wheeler,  Atlantic,  that  left 
her  port  of  New  London  on  Thanksgiving  Eve,  Novem- 
ber 26th,  1846,  bound  for  New  York.  The  night  was 
black  and  the  wind  blew  with  terrific  force  from  the 
northwest,  when  the  Atlantic  steamed  out  from  New 
London  with  her  load  of  freight  and  passengers.  Sud- 
denly, without  warning,  the  steam  chest  burst  and  the 
Atlantic  was  forced  to  anchor.  At  this  time  she  was 
not  far  from  Bartlett's  Reef.  The  wind  grew  in  strength 
and  additional  anchors  were  dropped,  but  to  no  avail. 
The  wind  and  seas  caused  her  to  drag,  and  she  rolled 
and  pitched  at  the  mercy  of  the  elements.  At  noon  on 
Thanksgiving  Day  she  had  dragged  her  anchors  until 
she  lay  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
shore.  The  steamer  Mohegan  tried  to  get  beside  her 
to  take  off  passengers,  but  could  not  accomplish  this, 
owing  to  the  great  seas.  The  next  morning  at  half-past 
four,  while  in  the  deepest  dark,  the  Atlantic  crashed  on 
the  rocks  of  North  Hill.  Wave  after  wave  went  over 
her,  washing  overboard  everything  that  was  not  fastened. 
Soon  a  gigantic  wave  swept  the  ladies'  saloon  and  its 
occupants  into  the  boiling,  rocky  surf.  "In  fifteen  min- 
utes the  majestic  boat  was  a  mass  of  ruins  with  nothing 
to  tell  what  she  once  was  but  the  floating  timbers  and 
part  of  her  larboard  side  high  on  the  rocks." 

Those  who  wished  to  stay  on  the  wreck  were  torn 
loose  and  cast  into  the  sea,  and  of  those  who  chose  the 


HERE  AND  THERE 


89 


sea  and  tried  to  reach  land,  many  were  dashed  to  death 
on  the  rocks.  The  scene  was  fearful;  the  night  dark  and 
the  wind  blowing  a  gale.  Those  who  were  saved  were 
only  just  alive  after  their  horrible  experiences  and  would 
never  forget  the  awful  times  through  which  they  had 
passed. 

The  survivors  were  taken  to  or  made  their  way  to 
the  Mansion  House,  where  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Winthrop, 
the  owner,  took  every  care  of  them  and  had  his  men  all 
out  searching  the  shores  for  any  saved  or  dead  persons. 
The  next  day  the  survivors  were  taken  to  New  London 
and  the  dead  carried  there  for  burial,  though  a  few  are 
said  to  be  buried  on  the  Island — but  where,  no  one  knows. 
The  ship's  bell,  owing  to  the  vibration  of  the  vessel's 
timbers,  kept  ringing  during  the  wreck  and  for  some  time 
afterwards.  It  was  this  mournful  tolling  that  led  to  the 
familiar  poem,  "The  Atlantic." 

"Toll,  toll,  toll, 
Thou  bell  by  billows  swung, 
And  night  and  day  thy  warning  words 
Repeat  with  mournful  tongue. 
Toll  for  the  queenly  boat, 
Wrecked  on  yon  rocky  shore, 
Seaweed  is  in  her  palace  hall, 
She  rides  the  surges  no  more. 

Toll  for  the  master  bold,  the  high  souled  and  the  brave, 
Who  ruled  her  like  a  thing  of  life,  amid  the  crested 
wave." 

The  bell  was  later  taken  off  the  wreck,  and  is  said 
by  some  to  have  been  erected  on  the  hill  west  of  the 


9o  FISHERS  ISLAND 

Mansion,  and  used  to  call  the  workmen  to  their  meals. 
The  hill  is  still  called  Bell  Hill,  but  the  bell  has  dis- 
appeared and  its  whereabouts  is  unknown.  It  is  said, 
even  at  this  late  date,  by  fishermen,  that  they  can  "feel" 
the  boilers  of  the  Atlantic  with  their  anchors,  but  noth- 
ing remains  of  her  that  can  be  seen.  Her  flag  is  in  the 
New  London  Historical  Society,  and  the  old  news- 
papers on  file  there  give  very  graphic  descriptions  of 
this  calamity. 

During  July,  1775, — "a  ship  sent  in  as  a  prize  by 
Capt.  Biddle,  in  the  Andrew  Daria,  ran  on  the  rocks 
near  Fishers  Island,  being  chased  by  a  British  ship-of- 
war,  and  immediately  a  number  of  armed  men  from 
Stonington  went  on  board,  and  as  they  say,  prevented 
the  man-of-war  from  destroying  her." 

On  July  2nd,  1788,  occurred  one  of  the  disasters  that 
is  met  with  about  the  sea.  A  Captain  Chapman  was 
bringing  to  New  London  a  party  of  immigrants  in  his 
vessel,  when  sickness  broke  out  on  board  and  he  was 
forced  to  put  them  into  quarantine  on  Fishers  Island. 
While  landing  them,  one  boat  filled  and  capsized;  the 
occupants  in  seizing  hold  of  the  second  boat  overturned 
this  also,  and  the  Captain  and  nine  other  persons  per- 
ished. 

Many  other  ships  have  struck  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Island,  the  Alinda,  a  Portuguese  tramp,  in  about  1895 
went  on  in  the  fog  near  Goose  Island,  on  the  south  shore, 
and  eventually  broke  up.  The  schooner  Isabella  Blake, 
after  which  the  beach  is  named,  went  ashore  in  about 
1870.  Near  this  beach  another  three-masted  schooner 
grounded  in  1914.  Two  Government  boats,  a  tug  and  a 
submarine,  have  gone  ashore  in  recent  years.    Some  of 


LIFE  SAVING  STATION  AT  RACE  POINT,  ABOUT   1 895 
SHOWING  OLD  LIFE  CAR  AT  SIDE 


HERE  AND  THERE  91 

these  vessels  have  been  salvaged  and  others  have  been 
left  to  be  gradually  battered  to  pieces  by  the  waves  and 
disappear. 

One  stormy  day  in  January,  1875,  Mrs.  Fox  left  the 
Mansion  for  a  walk  towards  Race  Point.  As  she  drew 
near  she  saw  through  the  snow  two  schooners  on  the 
rocks.  She  hastened  back  and  collected  some  of  her  em- 
ployees and  returned  to  the  wrecks.  Near  by  was  the 
Live  Saving  Station  which  the  Government  had  erected 
and  equipped  in  1870,  and,  running  out  the  life  boat, 
they  saved  the  crews  of  both  vessels  and  gave  them  shel- 
ter and  care  at  the  Mansion.  The  old  station  stood 
in  the  '90s  and  was  an  object  of  curiosity,  with  the  old 
rusted  and  useless  life  boat,  life  car  and  other  equipment 
lying  about.  The  small  mortar  used  for  shooting  a  life 
line  over  a  wreck  was  afterwards  removed,  and  it  is  said 
was  presented  to  some  historical  society  as  a  relic  of 
one  of  the  early  wars. 

The  28th  of  April,  1923,  was  a  stormy  day.  Huge 
waves  coming  from  the  south  dashed  themselves  to  foam 
along  the  south  shore  of  the  Island.  Farther  out,  be- 
yond Montauk,  the  waves  were  still  larger.  One  of  these 
carried  away  the  rudder  of  the  former  yacht  Onward, 
which  had  been  rechristened  the  Thelma-Phoebe,  and 
she  was  out  of  control.  First  one  anchor  was  lost  and 
then  another,  until  the  Thelma-Phcebe  drifted  helpless, 
tossed  about  by  the  heavy  seas.  The  next  morning  at 
seven  o'clock  she  struck  on  the  western  end  of  Choco- 
mount  Beach,  on  a  line  between  the  clump  of  rocks  and 
the  key  post  of  the  Coast  Guard  patrol. 

The  drift  through  the  awful  night  had  been  one  of 
horror  to  all  on  board,  as  they  were  continually  wet  and 


92  FISHERS  ISLAND 

expecting  to  be  drowned  each  minute.  When  she  struck, 
the  colored  cook,  seizing  a  mattress,  jumped  overboard 
and  was  killed  on  the  rocks  or  drowned  and  was  after- 
wards picked  up  on  the  beach.  The  rest  of  the  crew, 
seven  in  number,  came  ashore  on  the  life  raft. 

The  cargo  of  the  Thelma-Phacbe  was  reported  to 
consist  of  between  two  and  three  thousand  cases  of 
Scotch  and  rye  whiskies.  Many  cases  were  washed  from 
the  deck  and  scattered  along  the  shore,  some  being  sal- 
vaged by  the  Coast  Guards  and  doubtless  some  by  the 
civilians.  What  remained  in  her  hull  was  removed  by  a 
wrecking  crew,  which  also  took  out  her  engine,  and  then, 
placing  dynamite  in  her  hold,  blew  her  up  so  that  over- 
curious  people  would  not  be  continually  searching  her  for 
stray  bottles. 

There  were  many  tales  told  about  the  wreck.  One 
of  the  boys  from  the  farm  found  a  case  and  hid  it  among 
some  bushes.  On  his  return  the  next  day,  when  he  came 
to  take  it  away,  he  found  it  all  gone,  empty  bottles  lying 
about,  and  near  by  a  soldier  peacefully  sleeping.  Hearing 
the  boy  approach,  the  soldier  raised  his  head  and  re- 
marked, "Little  Boy  Blue,  youVe  lost  your  sheep,1'  after 
which  he  again  dropped  off  to  sleep.  One  finder  of  a 
case,  not  being  able  to  wait  until  he  got  it  safe  home, 
opened  it,  and  after  drinking  a  good  deal,  did  not  know 
where  to  put  the  remaining  bottles.  A  ray  of  intelligence 
penetrating  his  dazed  brain,  he  buried  them  in  the  sand 
of  the  beach.  Then,  fearing  that  he  would  be  unable  to 
find  them  later,  he  dug  them  up  and  proceeded  with  great 
care  to  rebury  them,  leaving  their  necks  in  view.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  upon  his  return  some  one  had  fore- 
stalled him. 


HERE  AND  THERE 


93 


One  fisherman  picked  up  twenty-seven  cases  floating 
east  of  Watch  Hill,  and  received  for  his  day's  catch 
$1100.  One  of  the  small  boys  on  the  Island  had  twice 
found  a  bottle,  but  both,  times  had  been  relieved  of  it 
by  one  of  the  sharp-eyed  Revenue  Agents.  He  at  last 
picked  up  an  empty  bottle  and,  slipping  it  under  his  arm, 
started  away.  After  a  chase  he  allowed  the  agent  to 
catch  him,  much  to  his  own  glee  and  the  agent's  chagrin. 

And  stories  are  also  told  of  how,  in  the  dead  of  night, 
people  carried  their  precious  findings  inland  and  buried 
them  in  out-of-the-way  places,  as  the  pirates  of  old  did 
with  their  ill-gotten  gains. 

The  fifty-foot  cabin  cruiser  Columbia  on  the  last  day 
of  December,  1923,  was  running  along  shore  on  her  way 
in  from  the  rum  fleet.  The  night  was  dark  and  the  seas 
were  pounding  the  shore,  when  without  warning  she 
crashed  on  the  rocks  at  Barley  Field  Cove.  Each  wave 
moved  her  farther  upon  the  reef,  until  she  was  jammed 
at  last  among  rocks  that  held  her  firmly.  Then  the 
waves  were  able  to  do  their  damage  and  the  Columbia 
began  to  break  up.  Her  crew,  consisting  of  three  men, 
made  their  way  ashore,  and  after  stumbling  about  in  the 
darkness  finally  saw  the  light  at  the  Coast  Guard  Station 
and  hastened  to  it  for  shelter,  as  they  were  wet  and 
nearly  frozen.  They  said  they  were  duck  hunters,  but 
about  that  time  one  of  the  patrols  came  in  and  reported 
cases  of  whisky  coming  ashore.  The  cases,  about  eighty 
in  number,  were  saved,  but  later  opened  and  their  con- 
tents destroyed,  and  the  crew  taken  away  for  trial. 
While  the  engine  was  saved,  the  boat  was  completely 
destroyed  and  little  of  her  remains  to  show  where  the 
wreck  occurred. 


94  FISHERS  ISLAND 

Until  a  few  years  ago  it  is  doubtful  if  more  than  a 
few  people  living  in  Southold  knew  that  Fishers  Island 
was  a  part  of  their  town.  Certainly  the  Island  derived 
little  benefit  from  its  connection  with  a  town  so  distant. 
Taxes  were  collected,  and  that  was  almost  the  only  in- 
terest taken  in  it.  A  change  then  occurred;  closer  con- 
tact was  established,  and  the  interest  in  the  Island  grew. 
Now  each  year  members  of  the  Town  Board  come  to 
the  Island  and  do  what  they  can  to  help.  The  County 
Supervisors  also  come  to  visit  the  Island  every  few 
years,  and  now  the  Island  feels  that  it  really  belongs  to 
Southold  and  is  helped  by  her  fellow  townsmen  from 
Long  Island. 


WATER  SUPPLY 

For  many  years  the  only  water  supply  on  the  Island 
was  obtained  from  wells,  which  were  an  unending  source 
of  trouble,  as  the  wind  blew  either  too  strongly  or  too 
gently  at  times  to  operate  properly  the  windmills. 
Finally,  in  1904,  a  large  reservoir  was  constructed  on 
the  top  of  Bell  Hill,  in  the  rear  of  the  Mansion  House, 
and  water  pumped  to  it  from  the  Barlow  and  Island 
Lakes,  which  are  connected,  thus  giving  a  good  supply 
of  water  to  the  West  End.  Shortly  after  the  electric 
cable  was  laid,  the  old-fashioned  steam  pumps  were  re- 
moved and  electric  pumps  installed,  which  have  been 
much  more  satisfactory  and  have  kept  the  water  in  the 
reservoir  at  a  more  nearly  constant  level  than  the  old 
pumps  were  able  to  do. 

The  lakes  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  a  drive  along 
the  Island,  combining,  as  they  do,  a  touch  of  inland 


HERE  AND  THERE 


95 


scenery  with  the  grander  sea  views,  and  these  ever-chang- 
ing, lovely  vistas  are  not  easily  forgotten. 

Race  Point  and  Race  Rock  have,  since  Colonial  days, 
been  a  great  menace  to  navigation.  We  find  mention  of 
beacons  on  the  Point  in  early  days.  In  1849  a  spindle 
had  been  erected  on  Race  Rock  itself,  but  it  was  not  until 
1878  that  the  lighthouse  was  erected  on  the  rock  in  the 
midst  of  the  swirling  eddies  of  the  Race.  This  work  was 
a  most  difficult  thing  to  accomplish,  as  the  tides  and  cur- 
rents were  continually  undoing  what  the  builders  con- 
structed. Captain  T.  A.  Scott  was  at  last  successful,  and 
to-day  the  Race  Rock  Light  stands  in  its  rushing  waters, 
warning  off  from  danger  any  ships  venturing  too  near. 
The  account  of  the  trials  and  tribulations  that  were 
met  with  in  constructing  this  lighthouse  will  be  found  in 
the  book,  "Caleb  West — Master  Diver,"  by  F.  Hop- 
kinson  Smith. 

To  safeguard  any  vessels  that  might  go  ashore  along 
the  Island,  the  United  States  Government  was  deeded 
enough  land  on  East  Harbor  to  have  a  suitable  Coast 
Guard  Station  erected,  and  this  station  is  now  one  of 
the  best  equipped  along  the  coast.  Day  in  and  day  out 
the  patrols  cover  their  beats,  and  their  watchful  eyes 
are  ever  on  the  lookout  to  rescue  boats  in  trouble  at  sea 
or  along  the  shore. 

SPORT  AND  WILD  LIFE 

Fishers  Island  has  always  been  a  favorite  place  for 
shooting  and  hunting  of  different  kinds.  First  the  In- 
dians used  it,  and  among  the  refuse  of  their  shell  heaps 
we  find  many  deer  bones.    Winthrop,  when  he  got  pos- 


'/ 


96  FISHERS  ISLAND 

session  of  the  Island,  took  care  to  have  included  in  the 
grant  from  the  Duke  of  York  the  hunting,  fowling  and 
hawking  rights,  so  that  he  could  enjoy  them  himself. 

In  a  letter  from  Roger  Williams  to  John  Winthrop, 
Jr.,  in  March,  1649,  he  says,  in  speaking  of  an  Indian 
named  Nunekunat,  that: 

"He  prayes  you  not  to  loose  your  right,  but  send  for 
a  skin  of  a  moose  which  was  killed  vpon  one  of  your 
hummocks  by  Fishers  Hand  lately,  &  caried  to  Wequash- 
cuck,  as  the  lord." 

When  Fitz-John  Winthrop  and  his  brother  Wait  were 
joint  owners  of  the  Island,  we  find  more  mention  of  the 
hunting  there.   In  a  letter  from  Wait  in  1688  he  says: 

uHe  also  desires  I  would  write  som  thing  that  may 
be  an  order  to  him  to  keepe  every  body  from  bringing 
guns  on  the  Island  to  gun  or  hunt,  and  desire  you  to 
put  your  hand  to  it,  which  I  heer  enclose;  it  may  be  of 
good  use  if  that  custom  can  be  broke." 

From  this  it  is  evident  that  poachers  were  found  in 
those  days,  showing  that  the  game  must  have  been  plenti- 
ful. 

In  1 69 1,  October  31st,  Wait,  who  evidently  was  a 
good  deal  of  a  sportsman  and  was  trying  to  improve  the 
shooting  on  the  Island,  wrote  again  to  his  brother: 

".  .  .  and  it  may  be  best  to  have  an  improvement  at 
that  end  of  the  island;  there  must  be  reservation  for  the 
deer  and  turkeys  coming  frely  there  without  disturbance. 
.  .  .  Whether  an  improvement  with  rabits  on  the  very 
east  neck,  beyond  the  pond  and  stony  beach,  might  not 
be  profitable;  and  to  have  part  of  a  grate  number  of 
geese,  ducks,  &c,  which  might  be  kept  at  the  opening  at 


HERE  AND  THERE 


97 


the  marshes,  it  being  never  frozen,  and  a  brave  place 
for  their  feeding." 

"Only  a  few  years  before  his  father's  death  the  son 
describes  with  pride  his  father's  activity  of  limb  and  ac- 
curacy of  aim  during  a  day's  shooting  on  Fishers  Island." 

A  white  man  and  an  Indian  were  fined  for  shooting  a 
deer  at  Fishers  Island  on  Nov.  28th,  1734.  At  this 
period  we  read  of  several  hunting  parties  on  the  Island, 
given  by  Madam  Winthrop  and  her  friends.  There  are 
two  mentions  of  moose  on  the  Island,  which  have  been 
given  elsewhere.  With  deer,  moose,  turkeys,  geese, 
ducks  and,  while  not  mentioned,  the  once  common  Pas- 
senger Pigeon,  the  shooting  there  in  the  early  days  must 
have  been  extraordinary. 

Probably  after  the  great  gale  in  18 15,  when  the  trees 
were  laid  low  and  the  Island  bare,  the  deer  were  easily 
killed  or  driven  off,  and  we  hear  of  no  more  shooting 
until  1885,  when  some  field  trials  were  held  on  the 
Island,  the  dogs  being  put  down  on  the  Bob  Whites  with 
which  the  Island  abounded.  A  few  years  later,  in  1888, 
the  Fishers  Island  Sportsmen's  Club  was  started,  and  as 
the  native  quail  were  not  there  in  sufficient  numbers  for 
a  club,  more  were  purchased  and  set  out  each  year. 
When  it  became  hard  to  purchase  quail,  the  introduction 
of  English  Pheasants  was  begun.  For  many  years  these 
birds  were  raised  with  good  success  and  very  good  shoot- 
ing resulted.  Mallard  ducks  were  also  raised  and  were 
shot  in  the  English  manner  of  driven  birds.  These  birds 
have  been  flown  from  a  hill  beside  the  Chocomount 
swamp,  over  the  trees  to  a  pond  that  was  constructed 
in  the  marsh  adjoining  Barley  Field  Cove.    Near  the 


98  FISHERS  ISLAND 

trees  were  constructed  stands  for  the  guns  fixed  in  such 
a  manner  that  only  incoming  birds  could  be  fired  at. 
Rabbits  have  always  been  plentiful,  so  that  shooters  com- 
ing to  the  Island  were  afforded  a  chance  to  obtain  a 
mixed  bag,  which  always  adds  to  the  pleasures  of  a  few 
days  in  the  open.  Hungarian  Partridges  have  been 
turned  out  several  times,  but  they  do  not  thrive  very 
well  and  just  about  hold  their  own  against  the  vermin 
that  prey  on  them. 

Owing  to  the  formation  of  the  land,  with  its  hills  and 
hollows,  woods  and  swamps,  the  shooting  has  always 
been  most  attractive.  Before  the  sunrise-sunset  law  was 
enforced,  the  numerous  ponds  afforded  fine  Black  Duck 
shooting;  since  then,  however,  the  ducks  lie  out  on  the 
Sound  or  Ocean  and  do  not  come  to  the  fresh  water 
except  after  dusk,  save  in  stormy  weather,  when  they 
seek  the  ponds  for  shelter.  Except  for  Mergansers  and 
Scoters,  the  duck  shooting  on  the  salt  water  is  nil.  The 
Broadbills  that  afford  so  much  sport  in  the  Sound  and 
on  Great  South  Bay  on  Long  Island,  do  not  stop  about 
Fishers  Island  at  all,  as  they  cannot  procure  their  proper 
food. 

In  the  Autumn  the  great  migration  of  birds  com- 
mences. The  line  of  flight  follows  down  the  New  Eng- 
land coast  until  Watch  Hill  is  reached.  Here  the  flight 
divides,  some  following  the  Connecticut  shore  and  the 
rest  passing  over  the  Island  and  then  across  to  Long 
Island,  winding  their  way  to  the  Southland  to  escape 
the  winters  and  enjoy  the  plentiful  food  that  is  found 
there.  During  these  migrations  many  varieties  of  birds 
are  seen.  Owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  Island,  it  is 
easy  to  get  about  from  one  place  to  another,  and  in  a 


HERE  AND  THERE 


99 


short  time  see  multitudes  of  birds.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  sights  to  observe  is  the  hawk  flight  that  comes 
each  year.  In  191 8  a  flight  of  great  size  passed  over 
the  Island  and  many  interesting  records  were  made  for 
the  bird-lovers.  Literally  thousands  of  hawks  came  by, 
some  high  up — mere  specks — some  lower  down,  others 
skimming  along  the  ground.  Occasionally  one  would  be 
seen  to  swoop  down  and  make  a  kill  and  then,  having 
appeased  its  appetite,  join  the  procession. 

In  addition  to  the  ordinary  birds  that  pass  over  the 
Island,  some  very  rare  stragglers  have  been  collected, 
notably  a  Black  Gyrfalcon,  a  European  Curlew  Sand- 
piper, a  Raven,  a  Golden  Eagle  and  Snowy  Owls.  As  a 
breeding  place,  the  Island  affords  a  home  to  many  birds, 
as  it  provides  many  different  kinds  of  places  they  like. 
The  sand  banks  provide  homes  for  the  Bank  Swallows, 
the  woods  for  the  Black-crowned  Night  Herons,  the 
small  islands  nesting  places  for  the  Common  Terns,  and 
in  the  bushes,  on  the  ground  and  in  the  trees,  Brown 
Thrashers,  Towhees,  Chats  and  numerous  other  birds 
build  their  nests  and  rear  their  young,  safer  than  in 
most  places,  for  war  is  continually  carried  on  by  the 
gamekeepers  against  the  rats  and  other  vermin  that  in- 
terfere so  much  with  the  birds  at  their  nesting  time. 

In  the  fall  and  wintertime,  after  the  summer  birds 
have  left  for  warmer  lands,  many  birds  come  south  and 
spend  the  winter  on  or  near  the  Island;  for  as  the  South 
is  to  our  summer  birds,  so  is  Fishers  Island  to  these 
hardier  birds  that  prefer  a  cold  climate  both  in  summer 
and  winter.  On  the  open  fields  we  see  great  flocks  of 
Horned  Larks  and  many  Snow  Buntings.  On  the  open 
sea  and  Sound  are  found  Dovekies,  Murres,  Red-throated 


ioo  FISHERS  ISLAND 

Loons  and  in  abundance  the  Herring  and  Black-backed 
Gulls. 

The  Sportsmen's  Club  also  had  the  privilege  of  fishing, 
and  erected  stands  along  the  south  shore,  from  which  to 
cast  for  Striped  Bass,  and  while  fishing  for  these  usually 
landed  many  large  Black  Fish.  One  of  the  ponds,  years 
ago,  was  stocked  with  Small-mouthed  Black  Bass  and 
some  large  fish  have  been  taken.  Owing  to  the  plans 
for  the  new  development,  it  was  felt  impossible  to  con- 
tinue the  Sportsmen's  Club  any  longer,  so  it  was  dis- 
banded on  January  ist,  1925,  after  being  in  existence  for 
nearly  forty  years. 

WHALING 

Probably  few  people  would  think  of  whales  as  ever 
being  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fishers  Island,  but  it  is  a 
fact.  In  the  seventeenth  century  small  boats  were  kept 
ready  for  use,  and  when  a  whale  appeared  the  boat  was 
manned  and  the  chase  began.  In  the  event  of  its  being 
killed  it  was  taken  ashore  and  there  cut  up.  The  earliest 
record  of  this  industry  in  Connecticut  is  dated  Hartford, 
May  25th,  1647 : 

"If  Mr.  Whiting  with  any  others  shall  make  trial  and 
prosecute  a  design  for  the  taking  of  whale,  within  the 
liberties,  and  if  upon  trial  within  the  term  of  two  years, 
they  shall  like  to  go  on,  no  others  shall  be  suffered  to 
interrupt  them  for  the  term  of  seven  years." 

In  Hempstead's  diary  for  January  13th,  1717-18,  we 
find  this  note : 

"Comfort  Davis  hath  hired  my  whale  boat  to  go  a 
whaling  to  Fishers  Island,  till  the  20th  of  next  month, 


HERE  AND  THERE 


101 


to  pay  twenty  shillings  for  her  hire,  and  if  he  stays  longer, 
thirty  shillings.  If  she  is  lost,  and  they  get  nothing,  he 
is  to  pay  me  £3,  but  if  they  get  a  fish,  £3  ios." 

Parts  of  a  whale's  skeleton  lie  heaped  up  on  the 
Island.  They  are  worn  and  broken  and  in  a  few  years 
will  probably  disappear,  but  they  lie  there  now  as  a  mute 
reminder  of  one  of  the  bygone  industries  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

WAR  DEFENSES 

During  the  Spanish-American  War  the  fears  of  the 
people  on  the  mainland  grew  so  strong  that  a  chain  of 
mines  were  strung  across  the  Thames  River  about  half- 
way from  its  mouth  to  the  bridge  above  the  town.  In 
addition  to  this  defense  the  Government  sent  the  Civil 
War  monitor  Jason  to  guard  the  entrance  to  the  Sound. 
This  ship,  one  of  the  regular  "Cheese  Boxes,"  had  such 
weak  engines  that  at  times  she  could  not  get  through  the 
Race  against  a  head  tide,  and  when  it  was  learned  how 
useless  she  really  was,  she  was  anchored  most  of  the 
time  off  the  Munnatawket  wharf,  remaining  there  until 
the  war  was  over. 

The  Government  then  awoke  to  the  fact  that  there 
was  no  adequate  protection  at  the  eastern  end  of  the 
Sound,  and  acquired  two  hundred  and  sixteen  acres  at 
Race  Point  for  a  Coast  defense  fort.  This  fort  was 
named  in  honor  of  General  Horatio  G.  Wright,  one  of 
the  Civil  War  generals.  One  of  the  first  things  the 
engineers  did  was  to  cut  through  the  beach  and  make 
a  harbor  out  of  Silver  Eel  Pond,  where  the  Government 
boats  now  dock. 


r 


102  FISHERS  ISLAND 

Suitable  buildings  were  constructed  and  now  the  Post 
is  capable  of  supporting  six  companies  of  regulars,  be- 
sides having  a  large  camp  where  visiting  militia  are 
trained.  During  the  World  War  large  numbers  of  tem- 
porary barracks  were  erected  and  many  men  were  trained 
there  for  overseas.  In  1903  it  was  considered  impera- 
tive for  the  United  States  to  own  Mt.  Prospect,  and  a 
short  time  later  it  was  purchased  by  the  Government  and 
is  used  for  a  searchlight  and  fire-control  station. 

On  the  Roll  of  Honor  of  Fishers  Island  men  who 
served  their  country  in  the  army  or  navy  during  the  war 
were  fifty-five  names.  Not  all  of  these  men  were  resi- 
dents of  the  Island,  but  only  those  who  were  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  Island  were  placed  on  it.  Six  men  gave 
their  lives  and  their  names  follow: 

Lathrop  Bartow 
Douglas  Tilford  Cameron 
Harry  W.  Eldridge 
Lawrence  D.  Goddell 
Danforth  Montague 
William  H.  Prime 

A  Red  Cross  branch  was  established  from  which  a 
great  quantity  of  work  was  turned  out  and  shipped  away 
to  be  distributed  by  the  proper  authorities. 

In  the  passing  of  time  the  Island  has  naturally 
changed.  Probably  the  Indians  had  hoped  it  would  al- 
ways remain  a  wonderful  hunting  and  fishing  ground, 
but  they  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  The  Win- 
throps  changed  all  that,  putting  on  men  to  farm  it  and 
handle  stock.   After  their  day  the  Fox  family  went  still 


o 
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C/5 

in 


HERE  AND  THERE 


103 


further  and,  besides  farming  it,  sold  off  many  lots  to 
different  people.  The  Fergusons  have  always  tried  to 
keep  the  Island  unspoiled,  and  in  their  development  have 
planned  to  keep  it  the  unpretentious  place  it  always  has 
been. 

Plans  are  now  under  way  to  construct  an  eighteen- 
hole  golf  course  and  a  club  house  on  the  undeveloped 
section  east  of  the  poultry  yard.  Members  will  be  able 
to  build  their  homes  or  obtain  accommodations  at  the 
club,  and  they  will  have  there  the  privacy  that  so  many 
people  desire  and  at  the  same  time  be  able  to  enjoy  the 
freedom  of  the  hundreds  of  acres  that  are  being  turned 
over  to  the  organization.  The  West  End  will,  with  its 
cottages,  hotels  and  harbors,  continue  to  be  the  center 
of  the  Island's  activities. 

Many  changes  have  occurred  since  Block  discovered 
the  Island  in  16 14.  Indians,  great  men  of  the  Colonial 
days,  gales  and  shipwrecks,  pirates  and  wars  have  con- 
tributed to  its  history.  Through  all  the  years  it  has  been 
cared  for  by  its  successive  owners,  so  that  the  fascination 
of  the  lakes,  the  cool  breezes,  the  bright  ocean  waters 
and  the  sunshine,  has  not  been  lost,  and  those  who  know 
the  Island  to-day  are  charmed  by  its  natural  beauty  and 
are  drawn  to  it,  as  was  Winthrop  two  hundred  and 
eighty-five  years  ago. 




V 


